Christian Deindl

Financial support and practical help between older parents and their middle-aged children in Europe

ABSTRACT Financial support and practical help between older parents and their middle-aged children vary greatly among the regions of Europe. Northern and Western Europe is characterised by a high likelihood of practical help to and financial transfers from parents, while in Southern and Eastern Europe these kinds of support are much less likely. Financial transfers to parents show an almost opposite distribution, with more children supporting a parent in Southern and Eastern welfare regimes. Using the second wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe encompassing 14 European countries conducted in 2006–07, these country differences can be linked to different social policies. Controlling for different aspects of country composition in terms of individual characteristics and family structures impacting on intergenerational support, it was found that the more services and transfers provided publicly, the more people aged 50 or more years helped their older parents sporadically, and the less monetary support they provided. On the other hand, generous public transfers enabled parents aged 64 or more years to support their offspring financially. Thus, neither ‘crowding in’ nor ‘crowding out’, but a modification of private transfers depending on public transfers and vice versa is found, suggesting a specialisation of private and public support.

The influence of living conditions in early life on life satisfaction in old age.

This article examines the influence of living conditions in early life on life satisfaction in old age in eleven Western European countries. It combines the influence of individual conditions, for example housing and family background, with country characteristics in the decade of birth. Using pooled data from the second and third wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, multilevel models show that early life living conditions have an influence on life satisfaction in old age. Furthermore, interaction effects between current and past living conditions show that adverse living conditions strengthen the effect of early life on life satisfaction in later life and therefore are an indication of cumulative inequality over the life course.

Reziprozität zwischen erwachsenen Generationen

ZusammenfassungGenerationenbeziehungen zeichnen sich durch Solidarität und wechselseitige Unterstützung aus. Einerseits helfen und pflegen Kinder ihre betagten Eltern, andererseits unterstützen diese ihre erwachsenen Kinder, z.B. während der Ausbildung oder bei der Familiengründung. In diesem Beitrag greifen wir aus einer Lebenslaufperspektive folgende Fragen auf: Ist der Austausch zwischen Eltern und ihren Kindern in Europa über die verschiedenen Lebens- und Familienphasen ausbalanciert? Lassen sich Muster direkter oder indirekter Reziprozität finden? Welche Faktoren begünstigen die Unterstützung zwischen den Generationen, und welche stehen ihr im Weg? Anhand von multinomialen Mehrebenenanalysen auf Basis des Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) können zeitliche und finanzielle Transfers zwischen Eltern und erwachsenen Kindern auf Bedürfnis-, Opportunitäts- und Familienstrukturen zurückgeführt werden. Gleichzeitig bestehen deutliche Unterschiede zwischen den Ländern, die durch kulturell-kontextuelle Strukturen, hier: familienpolitische Leistungen, erklärt werden können. Außerdem zeigen die Befunde, dass der Austausch szwischen den Generationen über den Lebenslauf hinweg reziproken Charakter aufweist, auch wenn die gegenseitige Unterstützung in einzelnen Lebensabschnitten nicht immer ausbalanciert ist.AbstractIntergenerational relations are characterised by reciprocal transfers and solidarity over the shared life span. Children care for their elderly parents, and parents support their adult children financially, for example, during their education or when they start their own household and family. From a life course-perspective, we analysed mutual transfers between parents and their adult children: Are transfers balanced over the life course and family-stages? Do we find patterns of direct or indirect reciprocity? Which factors facilitate exchange, and which do not? Using multinomial multilevel regression analyses based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) we trace transfers of time and money between parents and adult children back to opportunity, need and family structures. Remaining differences between European countries are explained by cultural contextual structures, here: family expenditures. The exchange between generations is reciprocal, but not necessarily balanced in various phases of family life.Intergenerational relations are characterised by reciprocal transfers and solidarity over the shared life span. Children care for their elderly parents, and parents support their adult children financially, for example, during their education or when they start their own household and family. From a life course-perspective, we analysed mutual transfers between parents and their adult children: Are transfers balanced over the life course and family-stages? Do we find patterns of direct or indirect reciprocity? Which factors facilitate exchange, and which do not? Using multinomial multilevel regression analyses based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) we trace transfers of time and money between parents and adult children back to opportunity, need and family structures. Remaining differences between European countries are explained by cultural contextual structures, here: family expenditures. The exchange between generations is reciprocal, but not necessarily balanced in various phases of family life.

Generationen in Europa: Theoretische Perspektiven und empirische Befunde

Die Beziehungen zwischen Eltern und ihren Kindern gehoren zu den wichtigsten und langlebigsten in der Familie. In seiner Auseinandersetzung mit verschiedenen Definitionen des Begriffs ‚Familie‘ schlagt Schneider (2008, S. 13) vor, diese als „eine exklusive Solidargemeinschaft, die auf relative Dauer angelegt ist“ zu begreifen. Damit wird Familie aus einer Mikroperspektive als sozialer Interaktionsrahmen fur Individuen beschrieben, der seinen exklusiven Charakter durch eine spezifische, in der Regel generationenubergreifende Rollenstruktur (Vater – Mutter – Kind) und die Solidarbeziehungen zwischen den Familienmitgliedern erhalt.

Tracing the Origins of Successful Aging: The Role of Childhood Conditions and Societal Context

This study investigates the role of childhood conditions and societal context in older Europeans’ propensity to age successfully, controlling for later life risk factors. Successful aging was assessed following Rowe and Kahn’s conceptualization, using baseline interviews from the first two waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). These data were merged with retrospective life-histories of participants from 13 Continental European countries, collected in 2008-09 as part of the SHARELIFE project. Our sample consists of 22,474 men and women, who are representative of the non-institutionalized population aged 50 or older (mean age: 63.3) in their respective country. Estimating multilevel logistic models, we controlled for demographics (age, sex), childhood conditions (SES, health, cognition), later life risk factors (various dimensions of SES and health behaviors), as well as country-level measures of public social expenditures and social inequality. There is an independent association of childhood living conditions with elders’ odds of aging well. Higher parental SES, better math and reading skills, as well as self-reports of good childhood health were positively associated with successful aging, even if contemporary characteristics were controlled for. Later-life SES and health behaviors exhibited the expected correlations with our dependent variable. Moreover, higher levels of public social expenditures and lower levels of income inequality were associated with a greater probability to meet Rowe and Kahn’s successful aging criterion. We conclude that unfavorable childhood conditions exhibit a harmful influence on individuals’ chances to age well across all European welfare states considered in this study. Policy interventions should thus aim at improving the conditions for successful aging throughout the entire life-course.

Finanzielle Transfers zwischen Generationen

Das vorausgehende Kapitel hat einen kurzen Uberblick uber familiale Strukturen in Europa gegeben. Das folgende Kapitel verfolgt das Ziel, private Transfers genauer zu betrachten. Dabei sollen folgende Fragen beantwortet werden: Wer sind die Hauptnutznieser monetarer Leistungen? Welche Rolle spielen die Familien- und insbesondere Generationenbeziehungen? Welche Netzwerkbeziehungen sind auserdem wichtig, wenn es um das Geben und Nehmen finanzieller Unterstutzung geht?

[Reciprocity between adult generations: family transfers over the life course].

ZusammenfassungGenerationenbeziehungen zeichnen sich durch Solidarität und wechselseitige Unterstützung aus. Einerseits helfen und pflegen Kinder ihre betagten Eltern, andererseits unterstützen diese ihre erwachsenen Kinder, z.B. während der Ausbildung oder bei der Familiengründung. In diesem Beitrag greifen wir aus einer Lebenslaufperspektive folgende Fragen auf: Ist der Austausch zwischen Eltern und ihren Kindern in Europa über die verschiedenen Lebens- und Familienphasen ausbalanciert? Lassen sich Muster direkter oder indirekter Reziprozität finden? Welche Faktoren begünstigen die Unterstützung zwischen den Generationen, und welche stehen ihr im Weg? Anhand von multinomialen Mehrebenenanalysen auf Basis des Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) können zeitliche und finanzielle Transfers zwischen Eltern und erwachsenen Kindern auf Bedürfnis-, Opportunitäts- und Familienstrukturen zurückgeführt werden. Gleichzeitig bestehen deutliche Unterschiede zwischen den Ländern, die durch kulturell-kontextuelle Strukturen, hier: familienpolitische Leistungen, erklärt werden können. Außerdem zeigen die Befunde, dass der Austausch szwischen den Generationen über den Lebenslauf hinweg reziproken Charakter aufweist, auch wenn die gegenseitige Unterstützung in einzelnen Lebensabschnitten nicht immer ausbalanciert ist.AbstractIntergenerational relations are characterised by reciprocal transfers and solidarity over the shared life span. Children care for their elderly parents, and parents support their adult children financially, for example, during their education or when they start their own household and family. From a life course-perspective, we analysed mutual transfers between parents and their adult children: Are transfers balanced over the life course and family-stages? Do we find patterns of direct or indirect reciprocity? Which factors facilitate exchange, and which do not? Using multinomial multilevel regression analyses based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) we trace transfers of time and money between parents and adult children back to opportunity, need and family structures. Remaining differences between European countries are explained by cultural contextual structures, here: family expenditures. The exchange between generations is reciprocal, but not necessarily balanced in various phases of family life.Intergenerational relations are characterised by reciprocal transfers and solidarity over the shared life span. Children care for their elderly parents, and parents support their adult children financially, for example, during their education or when they start their own household and family. From a life course-perspective, we analysed mutual transfers between parents and their adult children: Are transfers balanced over the life course and family-stages? Do we find patterns of direct or indirect reciprocity? Which factors facilitate exchange, and which do not? Using multinomial multilevel regression analyses based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) we trace transfers of time and money between parents and adult children back to opportunity, need and family structures. Remaining differences between European countries are explained by cultural contextual structures, here: family expenditures. The exchange between generations is reciprocal, but not necessarily balanced in various phases of family life.

Reziprozität zwischen erwachsenen Generationen:@@@Reciprocity between adult generations:: Familiale Transfers im Lebenslauf@@@Family transfers over the life course

ZusammenfassungGenerationenbeziehungen zeichnen sich durch Solidarität und wechselseitige Unterstützung aus. Einerseits helfen und pflegen Kinder ihre betagten Eltern, andererseits unterstützen diese ihre erwachsenen Kinder, z.B. während der Ausbildung oder bei der Familiengründung. In diesem Beitrag greifen wir aus einer Lebenslaufperspektive folgende Fragen auf: Ist der Austausch zwischen Eltern und ihren Kindern in Europa über die verschiedenen Lebens- und Familienphasen ausbalanciert? Lassen sich Muster direkter oder indirekter Reziprozität finden? Welche Faktoren begünstigen die Unterstützung zwischen den Generationen, und welche stehen ihr im Weg? Anhand von multinomialen Mehrebenenanalysen auf Basis des Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) können zeitliche und finanzielle Transfers zwischen Eltern und erwachsenen Kindern auf Bedürfnis-, Opportunitäts- und Familienstrukturen zurückgeführt werden. Gleichzeitig bestehen deutliche Unterschiede zwischen den Ländern, die durch kulturell-kontextuelle Strukturen, hier: familienpolitische Leistungen, erklärt werden können. Außerdem zeigen die Befunde, dass der Austausch szwischen den Generationen über den Lebenslauf hinweg reziproken Charakter aufweist, auch wenn die gegenseitige Unterstützung in einzelnen Lebensabschnitten nicht immer ausbalanciert ist.AbstractIntergenerational relations are characterised by reciprocal transfers and solidarity over the shared life span. Children care for their elderly parents, and parents support their adult children financially, for example, during their education or when they start their own household and family. From a life course-perspective, we analysed mutual transfers between parents and their adult children: Are transfers balanced over the life course and family-stages? Do we find patterns of direct or indirect reciprocity? Which factors facilitate exchange, and which do not? Using multinomial multilevel regression analyses based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) we trace transfers of time and money between parents and adult children back to opportunity, need and family structures. Remaining differences between European countries are explained by cultural contextual structures, here: family expenditures. The exchange between generations is reciprocal, but not necessarily balanced in various phases of family life.Intergenerational relations are characterised by reciprocal transfers and solidarity over the shared life span. Children care for their elderly parents, and parents support their adult children financially, for example, during their education or when they start their own household and family. From a life course-perspective, we analysed mutual transfers between parents and their adult children: Are transfers balanced over the life course and family-stages? Do we find patterns of direct or indirect reciprocity? Which factors facilitate exchange, and which do not? Using multinomial multilevel regression analyses based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) we trace transfers of time and money between parents and adult children back to opportunity, need and family structures. Remaining differences between European countries are explained by cultural contextual structures, here: family expenditures. The exchange between generations is reciprocal, but not necessarily balanced in various phases of family life.