title: Age, wage, and job placement: older women's experiences entering the retail sector.
abstract: Older women seeking employment often find opportunities limited to low-wage jobs, such as those in retail. We report findings about job placement and starting wages for hourly workers hired at a women's apparel retailer from August 2006 to December 2009. We examine competing hypotheses regarding the role of age in explaining women's job placement and starting wages. Although newly hired women age 55+ earn higher wages and are placed in higher-quality jobs than the youngest women (ages 18-22), they are less likely to be placed in better-quality jobs than their midlife counterparts. Overall, wage differences are largely explained by job quality.
authors.affiliation: a School of Social Service Administration , The University of Chicago , Chicago , IL.
authors.forename: Ellen G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Frank-Miller
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: Julia R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Henly
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003132:Commerce; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D032024:Personnel Delegation; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: human capital; job placement; low-wage jobs; older workers; retail; stereotypes; women’s employment