McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Chapter Eleven l The Elderly and Their Families

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved 11-2 The Modernization of Old Age l Mortality Decline l Life expectancy increases l Higher for whites than non-whites

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McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved 11-4 Social Consequences l Profound change in relations with children and grandchildren l Elderly population defined = 65 years of age and older l young old = l old-old = l oldest old = 85 and over l Gerontologists are social/biological scientists who study the elderly

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved 11-5 Fertility Decline l Fertility = the number of births in a population l Falling fertility rates l Falling mortality rates l Finished raising children before grandchildren arrive l Horizontal relationships have shrunk l Vertical ties have increased l Watershed age when parents die is 50 l Parents and children’s lives overlap by about 50 years

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved 11-6 Rising Standard of Living l % below poverty line; today less than 9.7% among older Americans l Reduction mainly due to Social Security program l older-old more likely to be poor l women more likely to be poor l non-whites, poorer than whites

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved 11-7 l Tweeners = the group of elderly people who have incomes that place them between the poor, who get public assistance, and the middle class, who supplement their SS checks with savings and pensions l Medicare = government program of health insurance for elderly l Medicaid = government program of health insurance for people below poverty line Rising Standard of Living

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved 11-8 Rising Standard of Living l Social Consequences l Because of better economic status, older persons are less likely to be dependent on their children l Historically, intergenerational cooperation was more common than it is today

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved 11-9 Separate Living Arrangements l Increased Independence l Elderly more likely to live alone l Living arrangements l alone l with a spouse l with another relative l with non-relatives

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Gender Differences in Living Arrangements l Living alone (more likely to be a woman) l More likely to be widowed due to spouse’s death l Fewer men available l Living with spouse (more likely to be a man) l More likely to be married - fewer elderly men than women in population Separate Living Arrangements

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Separate Living Arrangements l Cultural Underpinnings l Independence deeply rooted in Western nations l Today, elderly still want to head own household l Want “intimacy at a distance” l Reduces contact between elderly and kin

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Dying and Death l Changes in life expectancy have altered ways in which families experience dying and death l Grandparents more likely to die than mothers or children l Elderly men that lose their wives have difficultly maintaining household tasks l Breadwinner-homemaker models did not provide “training” l Elderly women may have financial challenges l May have less income from Social Security l May not have experience handling finances

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McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Quality of Intergenerational Ties l Contact - frequency parents and children see each other or are in contact by phone or l Affinity - how emotionally close parents and children feel and how much they agree on values, attitudes, and beliefs l Assistance - amount of assistance in time, goods, or money that parents and children provide each other

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Contact l 3/4 lived within minutes of children l 2/3 saw at least one of children weekly l 70% saw grandchild within last week l Geographical distance between generation – strong impact on relationships l Illustrates strength and vulnerability of grandparent-parent-grandchild relationship

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Mother-daughter Relationships and Family Culture l Closeness of grandparents is tied to relationship with mother of grandchild l Kin-keeping work done primarily by women Contact

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Affinity l Greater degree of love and affection - previous generations seen more as caretakers = emotional distance l Studies report a greater degree of warmth and emotional closeness

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Demographic and Economic Change l Easier today for grandparents to have a pleasurable, emotion-laden relationship l More likely to live long enough l Aren’t still raising own children l Ability to travel long distances l Fewer grandchildren, more economic resources Affinity

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Shared Values l Agreement between/among generations about values, attitudes, beliefs l 69% said similar to mothers l 60% said similar to fathers l Cohort replacement model l A model of changing public opinion in which each successive birth cohort experiences a different social environment and retains distinctive opinions throughout their adult life Affinity

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Assistance l “Average American woman spends 17 years raising children and 18 years helping aging parents” – cover of Newsweek l Mutual assistance l Works both ways - assistance reciprocal l Sandwich generation - women providing most of the care

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Care of the Disabled l Women are the kinkeepers l Having a daughter is the key to receiving support l Not only provide a service to family, but to public l Keeping family members out of nursing homes l Help with activities of daily living (ADL) l These limitations did not put people in nursing homes - most were still cared for at home Assistance

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McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Assistance l Women in the middle l 80% of care for disabled living in the community is provided by relatives, mainly women l With more women working, how will this change? l Women may also be asked to help their children

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Mothers and daughters most likely to be close l Next, fathers and daughters l Last, sons and mothers or fathers l When parents were divorced, solidarity was weaker Variability of Intergenerational Ties

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved l Implications for the Future l What will happen to l Noncustodial fathers? l Never-married fathers? l Stepfathers? l Biological fathers they grew up with? l Elderly men will have to rely on their current wives for care l Fewer women who are economically independent will marry elderly men who need care-giving Variability of Intergenerational Ties

McGraw-Hill © 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved Are They Really Happy? l Indications are that elderly really do prefer to live alone l In previous generations, household held together by economic hardship l Opportunity for independence and drive for self-fulfillment are now primary