How Gender Shapes Patterns and Consequences of Support in Later Life
Year: 2018
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: This symposium considers the role of gender in patterns and consequences of support across a variety of contexts within and outside of the family. The first two papers shed light on ways in which gender shapes intergenerational support. Huo, Graham, and Fingerman use data from the Daily Experiences and Well-Being Study to explore how empathy and gender interact to predict patterns of support to adult children, and the consequences of empathy-based support on parents’ worry. Next, Lin and Wu use data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study to highlight ways that siblings’ behaviors influence one another’s caregiving to older parents, and explore how this influence is modified by family gender composition. The second pair of papers considers the role of gender in the effects of caregiving within the context of marriage. Thomeer and Clark use data collected from 20 couples to examine gendered patterns in marital cost and caregiver burden when both husbands and wives have chronic conditions. Next, Suitor, Gilligan, Rurka, and Hou use data from the Within-Family Differences Study to explore ways in which adult children’s gender and maternal favoritism condition the effect of caregiving on marital tension. Finally, Fitzroy, Kemp, and Burgess use data collected on care networks of 28 residents in assisted living to study how gender intersects with structural and socioemotional characteristics to shape relationships between care workers and residents. This diverse set of studies reveals complex ways in which gender continues to shape patterns and consequences of support processes in later life.
Source: Innovation in Aging
Authors: J Suitor, M Gilligan
Institutions: Purdue University West Lafayette, Iowa State University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,977
OpenAlex ID: W2900405349