Centre for Policy on Ageing



Familial support for the elderly in the past — the case of London's working class in the early 1930s
Author(s)	Chris Gordon
Journal title	Ageing and Society, vol 8, part 3, September 1988
Pages	pp 287 - 320
Keywords	Social characteristics [elderly] ; The Family ; Living patterns ; Informal care ; Histories ; London.
Annotation	This paper takes as its starting point the historical debate about the respective roles of family and state in providing where necessary for the elderly population. Using the original data cards from the New Survey of London it is possible to consider this in the light of the experience of the working class in London in the early 1930s by analysing data on household composition and income. This is the first time that data on household composition have been assembled for the period after 1881 and before the Census authorities themselves began systematically publishing results from 1951. The picture which emerges, supported by analyses of the income of the elderly, suggests that in this period the role of the family was small, though important no doubt in certain critical situations. It is recognised however that analyses of household structure go only part of the way in illuminating the very comlex patterns of assistance which existed. (KJ).
Accession Number	CPA-890607068 A
Classmark	F: SJ: K7: P6: 6A: 82L
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.