A new study suggests women who work for a wage between the ages of 16 and 50 may have a reduced risk of dementia in later life.
Researchers at several universities across California tracked 6,836 American women born between 1935 and 1956, across 20 years.
They found that women who worked for a salary during the years mentioned experienced slower memory decline which put them at a lower risk of developing dementia.
Those women who did not work for a wage were found to have faster rates of memory deterioration.
Lead author of the study Prof. Elizabeth Rose Mayeda says the findings point to the importance of policies and programmes that incentivise women’s participation in the workforce.
Mayeda said it is not clear why paid employment would protect against memory loss but noted that previous research suggests that mental sharpness in later life is linked partly to “cognitive stimulation and social benefits”, both things encountered in the workplace.
Prof Mayeda says the team is not recommending a clear recipe, ‘work for this long, at this time of life and you’ll stave off dementia,’ but she says,
“Paid leave, affordable childcare and equal pay for equal work could help improve women’s health in later life.”
And we’re all up for a healthy life in our later years, hey ladies?
