MENTAL ILLNESS: GENDER DIFFERENCES WITH RESPECT TO MARITAL STATUS AND LABOUR MARKET OUTCOMES

Abstract

In a number of recent studies, it has been demonstrated that mental illness imposes real and large costs over and above the direct expenses of care and treatment. Each year in the U.S., 5–6 million workers between 16 and 54 years of age lose, fail to seek or cannot find employment as a consequence of mental illness. Among those who do work, it is estimated that mental illness decreases annual income by an amount between USD 3500 and USD 6000 (Marcotte & Wilcox-Gök, 2001). Similar results have been shown in a number of studies (Ettner et al., 1997).

Citation

Westergaard-Nielsen, N., Agerbo, E., Eriksson, T. and Bo Mortensen, P. (2004), "MENTAL ILLNESS: GENDER DIFFERENCES WITH RESPECT TO MARITAL STATUS AND LABOUR MARKET OUTCOMES", Marcotte, D.E. and Wilcox, V. (Ed.) The Economics of Gender and Mental Illness (Research in Human Capital and Development, Vol. 15), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 73-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0194-3960(04)15005-1