Older working-age single women are increasingly left behind with women who had children in the 2000s, when they were likely to give up work, still suffering earnings penalties and lower employment rates than women who had children later but managed to maintain their careers. Young people who found it difficult to find work after leaving education at the time of the “Great Recession” in the 2010s are now in work, but in their forties and still find their work prospects affected by the unemployment they suffered early in their careers. Those from wealthier families or who have previously held professional jobs usually have good insurance policies in place to protect against loss of income.