Biologically Childless Women 60+ Often Live in Extended Family Households in Latin America

Vos, Susan De

doi:10.1007/s10823-014-9240-y

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…This reflects the extension of social pension schemes across rural Mexico in the period preceding our study (Willmore, 2014). One general feature of these four sites, which is common in Latin America but less usual in high income settings, is the complexity of family living arrangements (De Vos, 2014). In many cases, these consist of plots of land or housing units which have, over the years, been subdivided between different family members.…”

Section: Design and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Allocating Family Responsibilities for Dependent Older People in Mexico and Peru

Lloyd‐Sherlock

Mayston

Acosta

et al. 2017

The Journal of Development Studies

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This paper applies different analytical frameworks to explore processes of family bargaining about providing care for dependent older people in Mexico and Peru. These frameworks include cultural norms, life course effects and material exchange. The paper is based on 19 in-depth qualitative family case studies, which are linked to a wider set of quantitative survey data. Care arrangements and bargaining processes are revealed to be highly gendered, and largely conform to prevailing cultural norms. Rather than neutral and objective, the selfidentified role as main carer is found to be subjective and potentially ambiguous. The few men who self-identify as main carers are more likely to play an indirect, organisational role than engage directly in daily care. As such, bargaining mainly relates to which woman performs the main care role, and large family networks mean that there is usually more than one candidate carer. Bargaining can occur inter-generationally and conjugally, but bargaining between siblings is of particular importance. Bargaining is framed by the uncertain trajectory of older people's care needs, and arrangements are sometimes reconfigured in response to changing care needs or family circumstances. Taking the narratives at face value, the influence of life course effects on bargaining and care arrangements is more obvious than material exchange. There are, however, indications that economic considerations, particularly inheritance, still play an important behind the scenes role.

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Section: Design and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Allocating Family Responsibilities for Dependent Older People in Mexico and Peru

Lloyd‐Sherlock

Mayston

Acosta

et al. 2017

The Journal of Development Studies

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“…Chile has one of the most developed systems of social protection in the region, serving as a policy model for several countries, though coverage and adequacy are still limited. As in the rest of Latin America, close relatives remain the key providers of social protection, including performing as carers for older people with support needs (De Vos, 2014). Furthermore, social policies have reinforced gender inequality, as women have been entitled to social benefits almost exclusively as mothers, not as citizens (Ramm, 2020;Rosemblatt, 2003).…”

Section: Backg Round: C Are For Older People With Supp Ort Needs In Chilementioning

confidence: 99%

Constraints that discourage participation in the labour market by female carers of older relatives in Santiago, Chile

Palacios

Ramm

Olivi

2020

Health Soc Care Community

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The demographic and epidemiological transition will increase the population of older people with support needs requiring care (Colombo et al., 2011). Families, and women in particular, play a central role in providing informal care for older people with support needs in Europe (Litwin & Stoeckel, 2013), though this role varies across countries (Solé-Auró & Crimmins, 2014). Additionally, these women could experience more than one period of caring for another person with needs (Carers UK, 2015;Larkin et al., 2019) as they can be sandwiched between ageing parents and young and/or adult children and grandchildren (Abramson, 2015;Falkingham et al., 2019). Increased caring roles during mid-life may affect the carers' participation in the workforce (Gomez-Leon et al., 2019; Proulx & Le Bourdais, 2014), resulting in a reduction of hours worked for pay, premature withdrawal from the labour market and the deterioration of the carer's financial well-being (King & Pickard, 2013; Lee et al., 2014). Moreover, economically active individuals are less likely than inactive individuals to provide care, further reinforcing initial care roles (Palacios, 2017; Vlachantoni, 2010).Support for older people with needs and its demands on female family members follow different dynamics than those involved with childcare (Le Bihan et al., 2013) and remain understudied, especially in emerging economies. Equally under investigated are the reasons why supporting an older family member lead women to exit or remain out of the workforce. The lack of attention to the consequences of providing care for older people with support needs is also evident in public policies, which, for many rapidly ageing countries, remain underdeveloped (Guzmán & Huenchuán, 2005).The effects of familial care for older people with support needs on the workforce and employment are strongly gendered. In the United States and the United Kingdom, for example, informal female carers with paid work who attend their parents or parents-in-law with support needs are more likely than male carers to decrease

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“…Declining fertility rates and longer life expectancy suggest that current and future older adults in the region can experience longer lives with fewer sources of family support, particularly children. The reported prevalence of biological childlessness, based on census data, among women 60 years and older mirrors the countries’ pace of demographic transition: 13 per cent in Argentina (2001), 11.2 per cent in Brazil (2000), 13 per cent in Chile (2000) and 9.5 per cent in Mexico (2000) (De Vos, 2014). Based on estimates from the 2000 SABE, the prevalence of urban older adults with no living children ranges from 5.2 per cent in Mexico City to 13 per cent in Bridgetown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Gendered patterns are evident such that women are more likely than men to live in multigenerational households while men are more likely to live alone (Cotlear and Tornarolli, 2011). These living arrangements are particularly common among childless older Latin American women where over a third live with others: Argentina (36.6%), Brazil (38.1%), Chile (40.8%) and Mexico (45.2%) (De Vos, 2014). While solo living is positively associated with higher depressive symptoms (Ylli et al , 2016), multigenerational living arrangements have been shown to protect against late-life depression among older adults in Havana, Cuba (Sicotte et al , 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Family status and later-life depression among older adults in urban Latin America and the Caribbean

Quashie

Andrade

2018

Ageing and Society

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Rapid fertility declines in Latin American and Caribbean countries since the 1960s have contributed to smaller family sizes among the current cohorts of older adults. This may have mental health implications in these societies as the family unit is highly valued as a source of social support. Utilising data from the 2000 Survey of Health, Well-being and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean (SABE), this study examines the association between parental status, marital status and the likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms among adults 60 years and older in seven cities within Latin America and the Caribbean (N = 9,756): Buenos Aires, Bridgetown, São Paulo, Santiago, Havana, Mexico City and Montevideo. Results from multivariate logistic regressions indicate that parental status is not significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Nonetheless, unmarried older adults, both those living alone and those living with others, are more vulnerable to experiencing depressive symptoms than their married counterparts. Marriage is especially protective for older adults in Havana and Montevideo. Older adults’ perceived income adequacy significantly moderates the relationship between marital status and depressive symptoms. Other significant covariates, such as experiencing disability and comorbidity, showed positive associations with depressive symptoms. While families may still represent a critical component for the mental health of older adults, broader investments in health across the lifespan are needed to improve individual psychological wellbeing.

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Biologically Childless Women 60+ Often Live in Extended Family Households in Latin America

Cited by 10 publications

References 31 publications

Allocating Family Responsibilities for Dependent Older People in Mexico and Peru

Allocating Family Responsibilities for Dependent Older People in Mexico and Peru

Constraints that discourage participation in the labour market by female carers of older relatives in Santiago, Chile

Family status and later-life depression among older adults in urban Latin America and the Caribbean

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