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Table 1 Demographic and socioeconomic status characteristics for the 1973–78 cohort and chi-square associations between these characteristics and caring†

From: Socioeconomic factors associated with trajectories of caring by young and mid-aged women: a cohort study

Characteristics

Baseline N (%)

Latent classes (N = 14202)

x 2

  

Overall highest (n = 100)

Overall lowest (n = 13,332)

Short-term (n = 374)

Early high then fluctuating (n = 110)

Low then increasing (n = 286)

 

Relationship status a

      

x 2 (4) = 26.3***

Partnered

3,193 (22.4%)

27.0%

22.2%

24.9%

20.9%

34.4%

 

Unpartnered

10,984 (77.1%)

73.0%

77.8%

75.1%

79.1%

65.6%

 

Area of residence

      

x 2 (8) = 11.4

Major city

7,375 (51.7%)

41.0%

52.0%

52.9%

51.8%

45.5%

 

Inner regional

4,307 (30.2%)

33.0%

30.1%

29.7%

30.9%

35.3%

 

Outer region/remote

2,555 (17.9%)

26.0%

17.9%

17.4%

17.2%

19.2%

 

Country of birth

      

x 2 (4) = 3.9

Australia

12,926 (90.7%)

92.0%

91.4%

92.7%

93.6%

94.0%

 

Elsewhere

1,206 (8.5%)

8.0%

8.6%

7.3%

6.4%

6.0%

 

Occupational status b (S2)

      

x 2 (16) = 40.6***

No occupation

941 (6.6%)

20.0%

10.0%

11.4%

12.5%

19.0%

 

Element cleric/prod

893 (6.3%)

10.0%

9.8%

9.7%

8.8%

12.2%

 

Intermed cleric/prod

1,442 (10.1%)

21.4%

15.9%

13.8%

16.2%

12.2%

 

Trade/adv cleric

1,510 (10.6%)

10.0%

16.6%

17.3%

11.2%

20.5%

 

Manager/professional

4,305 (30.2%)

38.6%

47.7%

47.8%

51.3%

36.1%

 

Ability to manage on available income c

      

x 2 (12) = 43.1***

D always/impossible

2,624 (18.4%)

24.0%

18.1%

24.2%

22.7%

25.0%

 

Difficult sometimes

4,706 (33.0%)

39.0%

32.9%

36.3%

29.1%

37.0%

 

Not too bad

5,070 (35.6%)

34.0%

36.1%

29.3%

33.6%

29.9%

 

Easy

1,795 (12.6%)

3.0%

12.9%

10.2%

14.6%

8.1%

 

Labour force/study participation d (S2)

      

x 2 (20) = 93.2***

No work/no study

1,113 (7.8%)

19.2%

11.2%

13.1%

12.8%

20.8%

 

Study/no work

373 (2.6%)

2.6%

3.7%

6.9%

3.5%

6.8%

 

PT work + study

1,021 (7.2%)

10.3%

10.4%

15.0%

12.8%

9.1%

 

FT work + study

1,322 (9.3%)

11.5%

13.7%

16.4%

10.5%

10.9%

 

PT work/no study

1,491 (10.5%)

30.8%

15.2%

16.6%

18.6%

18.5%

 

FT work/no study

4,329 (30.4%)

25.6%

45.9%

31.9%

41.9%

33.9%

 

Highest educational qualification e

      

x 2 (12) = 34.4***

≤ 10 years

2,427 (17.0%)

26.0%

16.8%

19.7%

16.4%

23.9%

 

11-12 years

7,600 (53.3%)

39.0%

53.9%

49.6%

54.5%

48.6%

 

Trade/cert/diploma

2,563 (17.9%)

23.0%

17.9%

21.6%

12.7%

19.7%

 

Degree/H degree

1,576 (11.1%)

12.0%

11.2%

9.2%

16.4%

7.8%

 
  1. †from latent class analysis; ***P ≤ 0.001 (all 2-sided); apartnered = married/defacto, unpartnered = separated/divorced/widowed/single; boccupational status included ‘occupations they were studying to become’, element cleric prod = elementary clerical or production, intermed cleric prod = intermediate clerical or production, adv cleric = advanced clerical; cD always = difficult always; dPT = part-time ≤34 hours/week, FT = full-time 35+ hours/week; ecert = certificate; H degree = higher degree; s2 = asked at survey 2; all variables had ≤1% missing data except for occupational status (36.2%) and labour force/study participation (32.3%) which were asked at survey 2.