6 minute read

Later Life Families

Defining Later Life Families, Characteristics Of Later Life Families, Couple Relationships In Later Life, Retirement And Couple RelationshipsConclusion




Similar to their younger counterparts, families in later life experience both change and continuity. In addition to retirement, grandparenthood, and changing intergenerational relationships, members of later life families experience marital transitions, the onset of health problems, and changes in marital satisfaction and sexual relationships as well as emerging needs for the caregiving of older family members. Race, ethnicity, class, country of origin, age, and sexual orientation combine to further augment the diversity of experience within the family in later life.




Later life families experience both change and continuity through marital, familial, social, and work transitions. At the same time, each individual's experience and definition of what constitutes the later life family and familial relationships varies. Despite the differences that derive from gender, race, class, country of origin, and the numerous transitions they encounter, families in later life are both adaptive and resilient.


Bibliography

Adelmann, P. K.; Chadwick, K.; and Baerger, D. R. (1996). "Marital Quality of Black and White Adults over the Life Course." Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 13(3):361–384.


Ade-Ridder, L. (1995). "Sexuality and Marital Quality among Older Married Couples." In Seniors and Sexuality, ed. R. Neugebauer-Visano. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press.

Albert, S. M., and Cattell, M. G. (1994). Old Age in Global Perspective: Cross-Cultural and Cross-National Views. Toronto: Maxwell Macmillan.

Aquilino, W. S. (1994). "Later Life Parental Divorce and Widowhood: Impact on Young Adults' Assessment of Parent-Child Relations." Journal of Marriage and the Family 56:908–922.


Bedford, V. H., and Blieszner, R. (1997). "Personal Relationships in Later-life Families." In Handbook of Personal Relationships, 2nd edition, ed. S. Duck. New York: Wiley.

Bengtson, V. L.; Rosenthal, C. J.; and Burton, L. (1990). "Families and Aging: Diversity and Heterogeneity." In Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, ed. R. H. Binstock and L. K. George. New York: Academic Press.

Brubaker, T. H., ed. (1983). Family Relationships in Later Life, 2nd edition. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.


Brubaker, T. H. (1990). "An Overview of Family Relationships in Later Life." In Family Relationships in Later Life, 2nd edition, ed. T. H. Brubaker. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Burton, L., and Bengtson, V. L. (1985). "Black Grandmothers: Issues of Timing and Continuity of Roles." In Grandparenthood, ed. V. L. Bengtson and J. Robertson. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Carstensen, L. L.; Gottman, J. M.; and Levensen, R. W. (1995). "Emotional Behavior in Long-Term Marriage." Psychology and Aging 10(1):140–149.


Choi, N. G. (1996). "The Never-Married and Divorced Elderly: Comparison of Economic and Health Status, Social Support, and Living Arrangement." Journal of Gerontological Social Work 26(1/2):3–25.

Connidis, I. A. (2001). Family Ties and Aging. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Diener, E.; Gohm, C. L.; Suh, E.; and Oishi, S. (2000). "Similarity of the Relations between Marital Status and Subjective Well-Being across Cultures." Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 31(4):419–436.

Glen, N. D. (1998). "The Course of Marital Success and Failure in Five American 10-Year Marriage Cohorts." Journal of Marriage and the Family 60(3):569–576.

Hatch, L. R. (2000). Beyond Gender Differences: Adaptation to Aging in Life Course Perspective. Amityville, NY: Baywood.

Hennon, C. B. (1995). "Divorce and the Elderly: A Neglected Area of Research." In Seniors and Sexuality, ed. R. Neugebauer-Visano. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press.

Holstein, J. A., and Gubrium, J. (1999). "What is Family? Further Thoughts on a Social Constructionist Approach." Marriage and Family Review 28(3/4):3–20.

Levensen, R. W.; Carstensen, L. L.; and Gottman, J. M. (1993). "Long-Term Marriage: Age, Gender, and Satisfaction." Psychology and Aging 8(2):301–313.

Lopata, H. Z. (2000). "Widowhood: Reconstruction of Self-Concept and Identities." Studies in Symbolic Interaction 23:261–275.

Markides, K. S.; Roberts-Jolly, J.; Ray, L. A.; Hoppe, S. K.; and Rudkin, L. (1999). "Changes in Marital Satisfaction in Three Generations of Mexican Americans." Research on Aging 21(1):36–45.

Martin-Matthews, A. (1991). Widowhood in Later Life. Toronto: Butterworths.

Mastekaasa, A. (1994). "Marital Status, Distress and Well-Being: An International Comparison." Journal of Comparative Family Studies 25:183–206.

Matthias, R. E.; Lubben, J. E.; Atchison, K. A.; and Schweitzer, S. O. (1997). "Sexual Activity and Satisfaction among Very Old Adults: Results from a Community-Dwelling Medicare Population Survey." Gerontologist 37(1):6–14.

Mitchell, B. A., and Gee, E. M. (1996). "'Boomerang Kids' and Midlife Parental Marital Satisfaction." Family Relations 45(4):442–448.

Moen, P.; Kim, J. E.; and Hofmeister, H. (2001). "Couples' Work/Retirement Transitions, Gender, and Marital Quality." Social Psychology Quarterly 64(1):55–71.

Neugebauer-Visano, R. (1995). "Seniors and Sexuality? Confronting Cultural Contradictions." In Seniors and Sexuality, ed. R. Neugebauer-Visano. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press.

O'Bryant, S. L., and Hansson, R. O. (1995). "Widowhood." In Handbook of Aging and the Family, ed. R. Blieszner and V. B. Bedford. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Orbuch, T. L.; House, J. S.; Mero, R. P.; and Webster, P. S. (1996). "Marital Quality over the Life Course." Social Psychology Quarterly 59(2):162–171.

Roberto, K. A., and Stroes, J. (1995). "Grandchildren and Grandparents: Roles, Influences, and Relationships." In The Ties of Later Life, ed. J. Hendricks. Amityville, NY: Baywood.

Rosenthal, C. J., and Gladstone, J. (1994). "Family Relationships and Support in Later Life." In Aging: Canadian Perspectives, ed. V. Marshall and B. McPherson. Peterborough, Canada: Broadview.

Rosenthal, C. J. (2000). "Aging Families: Have Current Changes and Challenges Been 'Oversold'?" In The Overselling of Population Aging: Apocalyptic Demography, Intergenerational Challenges, and Social Policy, ed. E. M. Gee and G. M. Gutman. Toronto: Oxford University Press.

Schlesinger, B. (1996). "The Sexless Years or Sex Rediscovered." Journal of Gerontological Social Work 26(1/2):117–131.

Smith, D. B., and Moen, P. (1998). "Spousal Influence on Retirement: His, Her, and Their Perceptions." Journal of Marriage and the Family 60(3):734–744.

Szinovacz, M. E. (1998). "Grandparents Today: A Demographic Profile." Gerontologist 38(1):7–52.

Szinovacz, M. E. (2000). "Changes in Housework after Retirement: A Panel Analysis." Journal of Marriage and the Family 62(1):78–92.

Szinovacz, M. E., and Schaffer, A. M. (2000). "Effects of Retirement on Marital Conflict Tactics." Journal of Family Issues 21(3):367–389.

Talbott, M. M. (1998). "Older Widows' Attitudes towards Men and Remarriage." Journal of Aging Studies 12(4):429–449.

Thomas, J. L. (1995). "Gender and Perceptions of Grand-parenthood." In The Ties of Later Life, ed. J. Hendricks. Amityville, NY: Baywood.

Thorson, J. A. (2000). Aging in a Changing Society, 2nd edition. Philadelphia: Brunner/Mazel.

Uhlenberg, P. (1993). "Demographic Change and Kin Relationships in Later Life." In Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Vol. 13, ed. G. Maddox and M. P. Lawton. New York: Springer.

VanLaningham, J.; Johnson, D. R.; and Amato, P. (2001). "Marital Happiness, Marital Duration, and the U-Shaped Curve: Evidence from a Five-Wave Panel Study." Social Forces 78(4):1313–1341.

Wells, Y. D., and Kendig, H. L. (1997). "Health and Well-Being of Spouse Caregivers and the Widowed." Gerontologist 37(5):666–674.

Other Resources

World Health Organization. (2000). "WHO Issues New Healthy Life Expectancy Rankings: Japan Number One in New 'Healthy Life' System." Press Release. Released in Washington, DC and Geneva, Switzerland, June 4, 2000. Available from www.who.int/inf-pr-2000/en/pr2000-life.html.

LAURA HURD CLARKE

Additional topics

Marriage and Family EncyclopediaFamily Theory & Types of Families