Gender gap in the duration of active labour market participation at retirement age

On average, women are less engaged in gainful work than their male counterparts and the duration of their active participation in the labour market is shorter. One of the possible explanations for these gender differences (gender gap) is that women are more likely than men to be engaged in unpaid household work and child care, and aretherefore more often under pressure to reconcile family life and career. As a result, women tend more frequently than men to interrupt their career for family and care reasons.To what extent do men and women differ in the number of years they spend in paid work? To answer this question, we analyse the gender differences in the total duration of the (active) labour market participation among persons at the retirement age, i.e. aged 57 to 65 years. Firstly, we compare the duration of employment between men and women in general.We then analyse the observed gender gaps in total duration of employment within different educational and parental categories of workers. The data analysed come from the PSELL-3/EU-SILC survey, carried out in 2005. The target population consists of 57-65 year old residents who have been actively participating in the labour market for at least one year during their life prior to the interview.