The baby-boomer generation and family support - a European perspective Jim OGG, Young Foundation, London and Caisse Nationale d’Assurance Vieillesse, Paris 33rd Global conference of ICSW, Tours, France, 2 July 2008
Research questions Do patterns of time transfers by baby- boomers to their elderly parents reflect the culture, demography and political history of individual European nations? What is the profile of baby-boomers who help their parents?
Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe Households with members 50+
Completed Fertility Rates for SHARE countries Mean number of children born to women of a given generation
Mean number of parents and ascendants alive for birth cohort Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany Switzerland Austria France Italy Spain Greece Birth cohort
Help given to parents and parents-in-law (outside household) Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany Switzerland Austria France Italy Spain Greece Birth cohort
Help given to parents and parents-in-law (outside household) Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany Switzerland Austria France Italy Spain Greece Birth cohort
Proportion of baby boomers (among those with a parent alive) who live in the same house or building
Help given to parents (in-laws) or living in the same household/building Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany Switzerland Austria France Italy Spain Greece Birth cohort
Help/no help between parents and children (inside/outside the household) Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany Switzerland Austria France Italy Spain Greece Birth cohort
Help almost daily between parents and children (inside/outside the household) Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany Switzerland Austria France Italy Spain Greece Birth cohort
Gives help (base=all) Gives help almost daily (base=gives help) Women++ Has children but no g/child +ns Working ns- Live near+++ Good finances+ns Socially active+ns Poor parent’s health+++ Country effect (ref=sweden) Summary of significant regression coefficients (baby-boomers giving help to parents
Summary European baby boomers help their elderly parents in different ways Notions of help differ – response effect? No evidence of substantial weakening of intergenerational relations among baby boomers in northern and continental Europe