Ellen M. Gee

Living Arrangements and Quality of Life Among Chinese Canadian Elders

This paper examines the role of living arrangements in thequality of life of community-dwelling Chinese elders (aged 65 andover) currently residing in Vancouver and Victoria, BritishColumbia. Data are based on a random sample of 830 persons[response rate = 71.5%], who were interviewed in their homes inthe language of their choice in 1995–96. Three dimensions ofquality of life – satisfaction, well-being and social support –are examined for married men and women [living with spouse alonevs. living intergenerationally] and widowed women [living alonevs. living intergenerationally]. Few differences are found formarried persons, especially women; for widows, living alonesignificantly reduces quality of life in a number of areas.Regression analyses indicate that living arrangements are not asignificant predictor of life satisfaction or well-being formarried men and women. For widows, living arrangements determinewell-being but not life satisfaction.Overall, age, health status, and social support (havingfriends/confidante) are better predictors of quality of life forelderly Chinese Canadians than are living arrangements. Findingshighlight the importance of: empirically distinguishing maritalstatus and living arrangements in studying the quality of life ofelders; not homogenizing Chinese Canadian seniors with regard toliving arrangements; and focussing on Chinese elderly widows wholive alone as a group at risk of low well-being.

The life course of Canadian women: An historical and demographic analysis

The life course of Canadian women over the last 100–150 years is examined, using data extracted from census and vital statistics publications. Cohort analysis and synthetic cohort analysis are employed as means to focus upon changes in the occurrence and timing of age-related life course transitions related to the family. Three substantive themes emerge: the increased predictability, standardization, and compression in age-related family life course transitions. Major changes and continuities are outlined, as well as implications related to the atypical life course experience of the cohorts of women who produced the “baby boom,” and to the emergence of temporally-related mechanisms of social control.

Returning to the Parental ‘Nest’: Exploring a Changing Canadian Life Course

In this paper we focus on the phenomenon of young adult children returning to live at home drawing upon a random sample of 218 returners and 202 home-leavers (non-returners) in the Greater Vancouver area in 1993-94. First a descriptive account of returning home is provided on three dimensions: age at events (e.g. first home-leaving first return); number of returns (single vs. multiple returns); and reasons for returning home. Age sex and marital status variations are also explored. Second a proportional hazards analysis is performed on the rate of returning home using several variables drawn from the life course perspective. The major predictors of returning home include: childs marital status reason for leaving home childs main activity family type and age at home-leaving. Theoretical implications of the results regarding families and life course transitions are discussed. (SUMMARY IN FRE) (EXCERPT)

Preferred Timing of Women's Life Events: A Canadian Study

Since Neugarten, Moore, and Lowe, in a 1965 article, reported finding widespread consensus regarding the timing of major life events, the concept of normative social timetables has become incorporated into the life course perspective and into the general stock of gerontological knowledge. However, subsequent research has been rare. This study examines the degree of adherence to age norms and mean preferred ages for five life course events among a random sample of 1,583 women (cohorts born between 1905 and 1949) surveyed in two British Columbia cities. It is found that, using a non-forced choice format, proportionately more women provide “right ages” for family events than for non-family events. Preferred timing varies by level of education and by birth cohort; place of birth has no effect. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the salience of age norms in the Canadian context and in terms of future research directions.

Homeleaving age norms: conflict or consensus?

While research attention has been directed to the normative timing aspects of some family transitions, little work on homeleaving has been undertaken. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with one child and one parent in 218 families in which the adult child has/had returned home (boomerang families) and 202 families in which the adult child has remained independently “launched,” this article examines a number of aspects of norms regarding the appropriate timing of homeleaving. The following issues are examined: the degree of overall consensus regarding homeleaving age norms; variations by generation and by family type; factors viewed as conditioning the normative age at homeleaving; and perceptions regarding social approval/disapproval of young adults living at home. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical issues in the life course perspective regarding age norms.

Religious Involvement and Life Satisfaction in Canada

This paper examines the relationship between religious involvement and self-reported satisfaction with life in general, and with six specific domains of life. The sample consists of persons aged 25-59 (N = 6,621) surveyed in 1985 in the first Canadian General Social Survey. Overall, there appears to be a positive association between religious involvement and satisfaction for both men and women. However, in British Columbia, where levels of religious involvement are lower than the rest of Canada, the relationship is substantially weakened and, in some cases, actually reversed. Despite data limitations, which are discussed, it is concluded that a positive relationship between these two variables cannot be substantiated in all instances. It is suggested that more refined research is needed to assess and to explain the particular conditions under which a positive relationships will prevail.

Home leaving trajectories in Canada: exploring cultural and gendered dimensions

In this exploratory study, we profile variations in home leaving, home returning, and home staying behaviour among four ethnocultural groups in Canada - British, Chinese, Indian, and South European. Data collected in a 1999-2000 survey of 1,907 young adults (ages 19-35) residing in the Vancouver area are used. Our principal foci are ethnocultural and gendered aspects of home leaving trajectories, specifically: ages at home leaving and returning, and reasons for home leaving, home returning and home staying. Special attention is paid to returners/boomerangers, given an increasing overall trend in home returning in Canada. We find that: (a) both ethnocultural origin and gender are important determinants of home leaving trajectory, (b) there is a distinct (but far from tidy) difference between European-origin and Asian-origin groups in home leaving trajectory, (c) British-Canadians leave home at the youngest ages and Indo-Canadians at the oldest ages, (d) the main reason for home leaving is independence for British-Canadians; schooling for Chinese-Canadians, and marriage for Indo-Canadians, (e) among all four groups, home returners leave home initially at younger ages and, with the exception of Indo-Canadian young men, who typically leave home for school, and (f) gender differences in home leaving trajectory are larger among the Chinese and Indo-Canadians than among persons of European origins. Overall, we conclude that the theorized trend of the individualized family life course holds for only some ethnocultural groups in Canada. We conclude with suggestions for future research directions on the topic of ethnicity and the home leaving life course transitions.

Ethnic Identity Among Foreign-Born Chinese Canadian Elders

Based on data from a random sample of foreign-born Chinese elders (n = 708) interviewed in Vancouver and Victoria in 1995–96, this paper examines the extent, determinants, and consequences of ethnic identification. Of the respondents, who have a median age of 75 and a median age at immigration to Canada of 55, 49.3 per cent stated that they felt more Canadian than Chinese, 36.6 per cent felt more Chinese, and 14.1 per cent felt equally Chinese and Canadian. Logistic regression analysis is performed, in an attempt to discover the determinants of Chinese ethnic identity. Significant independent variables include: place of residence, age, years since immigration, English-speaking ability, and personal monthly income. Consequences of retention of Chinese ethnic identity are explored, in terms of religious affiliation, health-related behaviours, family variables, and well-being variables. Only well-being is affected by retention of Chinese identity, an effect that is negative and felt largely by women only.

There's no place like home: an analysis of young adults' mature coresidency in Canada.

This article investigates the propensity for young adults to live in the parental home between the ages of 25 to 34—termed “mature coresidency.” Drawing upon a synthesis of life course theory and the concept of social capital, a rationale is developed for examination of emotional closeness to parents during childhood and a number of socio-demographic and structural factors deemed to be important. Using a subset of young adults aged 25 to 34 (N = 1,760) from the 1995 Canadian General Social Survey, it is found that emotional closeness to mothers and fathers are major determinants of mature coresidency. Other important predictors include childs age, gender, marital status, and several family background factors. The implications of the findings are discussed for transitions to adulthood and family development against a changing social and economic landscape.

Demographic change and intergenerational relations in Canadian families: findings and social policy implications.

This paper provides estimates of the demographic parameters of parent-child relations in Canada using an historical framework. Four birth cohorts are chosen (1860 1910 1930 and 1960) and are examined from two points of view--as children (particularly adult children) and as parents. The analysis highlights the ways in which demographic change influences the intergenerational context of family life. Four major social policy implications of the data are outlined focussing upon care-giving and care-receiving in an aging society. (SUMMARY IN FRE) (EXCERPT)