The bar charts illustrate the proportion of men and women aged between 60 and 64 who were employed in Belgium, the USA, Japan, and Indonesia in the years 1970 and 2000.
Overall, the percentage of elderly men working declined significantly in all four countries while the rate of employed women also fell though to a lesser extent in some nations. Another noticeable trend is that the gender gap in employment generally narrowed over the 30-year period.
In 1970, employment rates among men were considerably high, ranging from around 75% (three-quarters) in Belgium and Japan to nearly 90% in the USA. Women’s participation, however was lower in every country, with figures between roughly 55% (well over a half) in Japan and just under 80% in the USA.
By 2000, the proportion of working men had dropped sharply. In Belgium, for instance, the figure fell from about 78% to just over 50%, while in Japan it declined to nearly the same level. A similar downward trend was seen in Indonesia, although the decrease there was less dramatic. For women, Belgium experienced the steepest fall, from more than 60% to only about 10%. By contrast, in the USA, while female employment fell from 78% to around 45%, it remained the highest among the four nations.