Women with breast cancer who work for accommodating employers more likely to retain jobs after treatment Journal Article
| Authors: | Blinder, V.; Eberle, C.; Patil, S.; Gany, F. M.; Bradley, C. J. |
| Article Title: | Women with breast cancer who work for accommodating employers more likely to retain jobs after treatment |
| Abstract: | Breast cancer affects one in eight women across the United States, and low-income minority survivors of breast cancer are at increased risk of job loss, compared to higher-income white survivors. Employer accommodations, such as schedule flexibility, have been associated with job retention in higher-income whites, but the role of such accommodations in job retention among low-income minorities is not well understood. We conducted a longitudinal study of 267 employed women ages 18-64 who were undergoing treatment for early-stage breast cancer and spoke English, Chinese, Korean, or Spanish. We categorized patients by income level and by race/ethnicity. The category with the lowest job retention after treatment was low-income women (57 percent). Job retention varied widely by race/ethnicity, ranging from 68 percent among Chinese women to 98 percent among non-Latina whites. Women who had accommodating employers were more than twice as likely to retain their jobs as those without accommodating employers. Low-income women were less likely than higher-income women to have accommodating employers, however. More uniform implementation of accommodations across low- and high-paying jobs could reduce disparities in employment outcomes among workers with a cancer diagnosis. Additional research is needed to better understand the barriers that employers, particularly those with low-income workers, may face in providing accommodations. © 2017 Project HOPE-The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc. |
| Journal Title: | Health Affairs |
| Volume: | 36 |
| Issue: | 2 |
| ISSN: | 0278-2715 |
| Publisher: | Project HOPE |
| Date Published: | 2017-02-01 |
| Start Page: | 274 |
| End Page: | 281 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.1377/hlthaff.2016.1196 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| PUBMED: | 28167716 |
| PMCID: | PMC5559299 |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | Article -- Export Date: 2 March 2017 -- Source: Scopus |
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