scholarly journals Opting for Living-Apart-Together and Cohabitation Relationships in people 50+: A Longitudinal Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Anna Ševčíková ◽  
Dana Seryjová Juhová ◽  
Adam Ťápal ◽  
Lukas Blinka ◽  
Jaroslav Gottfried

Despite a growing body of research on later-life relationships, there are still only a limited number of explorative longitudinal studies that have investigated the factors responsible for the establishment of either a Living-Apart-Together (LAT) arrangement or a cohabitation relationship. Two waves of data collection by the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2014/2015-2017; N= 12,155; Mage=71.96; 76.3% women) were analyzed with a special focus on family, dwelling, and financial constraints. Those who were male, younger, and had more children were more likely to enter into a LAT arrangement or a cohabitation relationship than to remain unpartnered. More rooms and fewer years spent in the accommodation raised the odds to partner. LAT persons were slightly older than those in cohabitation relationships. No other factors influenced the form of living arrangement, which indicates that factors other than financial constraints and family responsibilities affect later-life LAT or cohabitation relationship formation.

2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752199680
Author(s):  
Anna Ševčíková ◽  
Dana Seryjová Juhová ◽  
Lukas Blinka ◽  
Jaroslav Gottfried ◽  
Steriani Elavsky ◽  
...  

Despite a growing body of research on later-life relationship formation, little is known about the health predictors and outcomes of later-life Living-Apart-Together (LAT) relationships. A LAT living arrangement is understood to be a possible way for older adults with age-related limits to partner and balance the consequences of being single. Using both selection and resource models to capture the links between health and relationship status, we analyzed unpartnered people 50+ from the longitudinal Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. We examined who entered LAT or cohabiting relationships between Time 1 and 2, who remained unpartnered, and what effect the transition into one of these statuses had on the well-being of those who remained in that status at Time 3. The respondents in LAT relationships did not differ from their cohabiting counterparts in health indicators before the relationship formation, nor was there a difference in life satisfaction and well-being 2 years after partnering. Compared to unpartnered persons, LAT respondents reported better self-perceived health before relationship formation and slightly higher life satisfaction 2 years later. Health status does not influence the choice for a relationship form, but a LAT relationship may constitute a resourceful living arrangement in later life, which provides some support for both the selection and resource models.


2020 ◽  
pp. 61-77
Author(s):  
Rekha Pande

This chapter looks at some of the issues of old women in India with a special focus on widows in the city of Vrindavan. In India, social mores inhibit women from re-marrying, resulting in an increased likelihood of women ending up alone. In many conservative Indian Hindu families, widows are shunned because they're seen as bringing bad luck. Most of these widows find refuge in Vrindavan. The data for this study was collected through interviews with 50 widows and two group discussions in the six homes (ashrams) for the widows. Data was collected pertaining to their age, literacy, socio-economic background, marriage, life after marriage, work, experiences of widowhood, and their stay in Vrindavan. The chapter concludes by stating that very little information is available on these widows. There is a need for better data collection and research on the inheritance practices, socio-economic and cultural status of widows, as widows are left out of many schemes and policies of the government. These widows need to be treated as human beings and brought to the mainstream of the women's movement.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 604-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Perzel ◽  
H. Huebner ◽  
W. Rascher ◽  
C. Menendez-Castro ◽  
A. Hartner ◽  
...  

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and fetal growth restriction (FGR) are pregnancy complications associated with morbidity in later life. Despite a growing body of evidence from current research on developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD), little information is currently provided to parents on long-term metabolic, cardiovascular and neurologic consequences. As parents strongly rely on internet-based health-related information, we examined the quality of information on IUGR/FGR sequelae and DOHaD in webpages used by laypersons. Simulating non-clinicians experience, we entered the terms ‘IUGR consequences’ and ‘FGR consequences’ into Google and Yahoo search engines. The quality of the top search-hits was analyzed with regard to the certification through the Health On the Net Foundation (HON), currentness of cited references, while reliability of information and DOHaD-related consequences were assessed via the DISCERN Plus score (DPS). Overall the citation status was not up-to-date and only a few websites were HON-certified. The results of our analysis showed a dichotomy between the growing body of evidence regarding IUGR/FGR-related sequelae and lack of current guidelines, leaving parents without clear directions. Furthermore, detailed information on the concept of DOHaD is not provided. These findings emphasize the responsibility of the individual physician for providing advice on IUGR/FGR-related sequelae, monitoring and follow-up.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S576-S576
Author(s):  
Haena Lee ◽  
Markus H Schafer

Abstract Considerable work has documented that positive childhood memories, especially childhood happiness, predict better health among young adults. However, it is not known whether growing up happy has enduring health consequences across the life course. Using two waves of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (2010-2011 and 2015-2016; N = 1,937), we investigate the relationship between childhood happiness and changes in physical, mental, and biological functioning in later life. Childhood happiness was retrospectively assessed using a question: “When I was growing up, my family life was always happy.” Self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and frailty over a five-year period were examined to reflect changes in functional status. Childhood SES and living arrangement were examined to assess childhood sociodemographic background. Educational attainment, family support and strain, and self-mastery were considered as potential mediators. We find that, among other childhood factors, childhood happiness significantly predicts older adult health. Specifically, childhood happiness was associated with better self-rated health and lower depressive symptoms at follow-up, net of baseline health conditions. We did not find a relationship between frailty and childhood happiness. Unlike prior work, we found no significant effect of childhood SES on the measured outcomes. Associations between childhood happiness and self-rated health and depression were mediated by psychosocial resources including self-mastery and perceived social support from family members. This implies that growing up in nurturing, cherished family environment has the potential to cultivate social relationships and build resilience which could provide an important pathway to successful aging.


2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 779-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER LLOYD-SHERLOCK ◽  
CATHERINE LOCKE

ABSTRACTMany have presumed that in developing countries contact with children is beneficial to older people's wellbeing, and particularly that women receive more support from children than men because of their lifelong commitment to family responsibilities. This study questions these stylised notions through an analysis of 22 life histories of older women and men living in a district with high rates of social exclusion in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It focuses on the subjective accounts of relationships with children and grandchildren and their influence on current wellbeing. The life histories reveal complex lived experiences and the significance of key events. The informants speak of the anxiety and harm caused by struggling children, about problems of remote relations with successful children, and of the insecurity of the neighbourhood. The analysis contrasts a materialistic interpretation of the influence of children on older people's wellbeing with the informants' more holistic evaluation of family relationships. By applying a lifecourse framework, we demonstrate among other things that children may be a key source of vulnerability for older people, that the gendering of parent-child relations and later-life wellbeing is nuanced, and that both local and national conditions influence relationships with specific children, with implications for the intergenerational transmission of wellbeing.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Sánchez-Domínguez ◽  
Luis Guirola Abenza

Objective: This study examines the convergence of employment behaviour and work-life balance of foreign-born women with those of native-born Spanish women between 2014 and 2018. Background: The changing role of women in the labour market is a central development of the past century. However, the study of female labour market participation has focused on native women, typically with a college education. Method: We use the Spanish Labour Force Survey and its 2018 ad hoc module on the reconciliation of work and family life to compare the working behaviours of native and migrant women. We use a matching algorithm to construct a sample of native workers with comparable human capital and living arrangement characteristics. Results: The segmentation of the Spanish labour market leads to the concentration of female immigrants in specific occupational niches with precarious employment conditions, regardless of the length of their stay in the country. The country’s employment and care regime forces female migrants to deal with their care responsibilities differently than their native counterparts: i.e., migrants are more likely than natives to interrupt their employment to fulfil household duties, and are less likely to engage in part-time work and to outsource care provision to family and professional caregivers. Conclusion: Female immigrants are doubly penalised as both immigrants and mothers.


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