| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
Network size and support in old age
— differentials by socio-economic status in childhood and adulthood | | Author(s) | Marjolein I Broese van Groenou, Theo van Tilburg |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 23, part 5, September 2003 |
| Pages | pp 625-646 |
| Keywords | Economic status [elderly] ; Life span ; Personal relationships ; Social contacts ; Informal care ; Social surveys ; Netherlands. |
| Annotation | This paper examines the impact of childhood and adulthood socio-economic status (SES) on personal network characteristics in later life. Data are derived from 2285 married older adults (born between 1903 and 1937) who participated in face-to-face interview for the Dutch survey on "Living arrangements and social networks of older adults" conducted in 1992. Childhood and adulthood SES were indicated by the father's and own level of education and occupation. It is concluded that obtaining a high SES during life pays off in terms of having more supportive non-kin relationships in old age. The small networks and less supportive non-kin relationships of low status older adults make them more vulnerable to situations in which kin are unavailable or less willing to provide support. This study underscores the distinction between types of support and types of relationships in the SES network association. Further research on the social pathways of socio-economic inequality in health and well-being should take these distinctions into account. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-030922205 A |
| Classmark | F:W: BG6: DS: TOA: P6: 3F: 76H |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|