Later‐life cognitive function at the intersection of gender and occupation across Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocols (HCAPs) in the United States, Chile, Mexico, India, and South Africa

INTRODUCTION We examined how gender and lifetime occupational skill intersect cross‐nationally to influence later‐life cognitive function. METHODS Data were from 11,450 participants ≥50 years of age from Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocols (HCAPs) in the United States, Chile, Mexico, India, and South Africa. We used multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy (MAIHDA) to decompose the variance in cross‐nationally harmonized later‐life cognitive function. RESULTS In adjusted linear mixed‐effects models, variance between strata accounted for 15.7% of the overall variance in cognitive function, attributable to the intersectional effects of gender and lifetime occupational skill across the five countries. After adding fixed effects of the individual factors of gender, lifetime occupational skill, and country to the model, their intersectional effects accounted for 4.4% of overall variance. DISCUSSION Our findings suggest that life course experiences at the intersection of gender and lifetime occupation across countries are associated with later‐life cognitive function, beyond their individual effects. Highlights We investigated how the intersection of gender and lifetime occupational skill influences later‐life cognitive function across countries. Applying the multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy (MAIHDA) framework, we show that the intersectional effects of these factors accounted for 15.7% of the overall variance in later‐life cognitive function, with residual intersectional effects of 4.4% even after adjusting for their independent contributions. These findings highlight that life course experiences shaped by gender, occupation, and country of residence are crucial for understanding differences in later‐life cognitive function.