Health and well-being are not equally distributed in society. WELLWAYS investigates how events and transitions in the family and employment domains, which significantly influence health and well-being, contribute to such inequality.
We study individuals’ life courses to understand whether and to what extent family and work-related events interact in increasing disparities in well-being in Switzerland and France. The main objective of the project is to explain how some individuals have a higher risk to accumulate disadvantages along their life course resulting in lower well-being and reduced health.
We use data from several large surveys conducted in Switzerland and France which include information on employment and family trajectories as well as information on individual levels of well-being for up to two decades. Specifically the project is based on the analyses of the Swiss Household Panel data and of two longitudinal datasets for France (CONTSTANCES and Santé et itinéraire professionnel).
WELLWAYS on the one hand enriches existing research by adopting a life course research perspective and using statistical modelling techniques to analyse complex survey data that track individuals' professional and family histories over time. On the other hand, it adds on knowledge on rising inequalities in health and well-being in Switzerland and France, with the aim of providing solid empirical evidence for policy recommendations turned towards improving the well-being of vulnerable groups in our societies.
