How demographic patterns and social policies shape interdependence among lives in the family realm.

摘要

textabstractOur starting point is that a social psychological approach dominates the literature on interdependent\udor “linked” lives (Elder, 1994). We argue that interdependence is not only social-psychological, but is also\udstructured on a macro-level. More specifically, we illustrate ways in which demographic change, such as\udincreased co-longevity, creates different opportunities for interdependence for men and women. In addition, we\uddraw attention to the role of national policies, distinguishing ways in which legislation mandates generational\udinterdependence (e.g., legal obligations to provide financial support), blocks generational interdependence (e.g.,\udgrandparents not granted the right to raise grandchildren when parents cannot provide adequate care; migration\udlaws not granting temporary visits to enable the provision of care), generates generational interdependence (e.g.,\uddaddy quota), and lightens generational interdependence (e.g., less reliance on grandparental care in Northern\udand Western Europe due to public support to parents of young children). We pay specific attention to childless\udmen and women, questioning the primacy assigned to kinship ties in health care and long-term support policies.\udGender receives consistent consideration throughout the paper.