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Gender differences in family support: is there a payoff?
The Gerontologist
|February 1, 1989
Summary
Older women, even when unmarried, have similar living arrangements to men but maintain closer proximity to children. Women receive more informal support, often due to higher needs, reflecting their historical family caretaker roles.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sociology
- Family Studies
Background:
- Societal norms often position women as primary family caretakers.
- Understanding the living arrangements and support networks of older adults is crucial for public health and social policy.
- Previous research indicates gender differences in social support and caregiving roles across the lifespan.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the living arrangements and informal support networks of unmarried older women and men.
- To investigate the relationship between gender, living arrangements, and receipt of informal assistance among individuals aged 65 and older.
- To explore how women's traditional roles as family caretakers and kinkeeepers may influence their support systems in later life.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of national data from respondents aged 65 and older.
- Comparison of living arrangements, proximity to children, and frequency of contact (phone calls, mail) between genders.
- Statistical examination of informal assistance receipt, considering need levels, particularly for unmarried individuals.
Main Results:
- While older women are less likely to live with a spouse, the living arrangements of unmarried older women and men are comparable.
- Older women tend to live closer to their children and receive more phone calls, indicating more frequent contact, but not more mail.
- Greater receipt of informal assistance by women is substantially explained by their higher levels of need, especially among the unmarried.
Conclusions:
- Despite similar living arrangements for unmarried older adults, women maintain closer proximity to children and receive more support, linked to their caretaking roles.
- Findings suggest that women's established roles as family caretakers and kinkeeepers influence their social support networks in old age.
- Interventions and policies supporting older adults should consider gendered caregiving histories and varying needs for informal assistance.