Financial Abuse of Older Women in Serbia

Abstract

A survey of older women in Serbia was conducted to understand the structural and individual financial abuse they experienced within the family context, as well as the risks of this form of abuse and their knowledge of their rights. This is the first study on financial abuse of older women in Serbia. It has important implications for older women who experience lower overall economic status than older men and women of younger ages. A convenience sample of 97 older women age 65 years and older from ten cities/municipalities of Serbia was interviewed. Respondents provided information on their finances, experience of receiving/forgoing their inheritance, lifelong contract with family members, etc. Given the sampling methodology, findings do not allow for generalization of the results. However, they provide insights that can inform more efficient policies to protect older people, in particular older women, from this form of abuse.

A Profile of Gender-Based Violence Research in Europe: Findings From a Focused Mapping Review and Synthesis

“…Older women featured in two articles. In these, Petrusic, Todorovic, Vracevic and Jankovic (2015) highlighted the significantly hidden issue of financial abuse, and Stöckl and Penhale (2015) explored a range of different types of abuse experienced by older women, reporting on the physical and mental health issues associated with IPV. Both these articles underscore the importance of viewing IPV as a problem that does not discriminate according to age.…”

The state of theory in elder family financial exploitation: A systematic review

“…Collectively, the identified articles addressed four broad EFFE topics. The most commonly addressed topics were (a) perception/defining of EFFE ( n = 4; Lee & Eaton, 2009; Lee et al, 2012; Lee et al, 2013; Setterlund et al, 2007), (b) risk and protective factors for victims and perpetrators ( n = 7; Bagshaw et al, 2013; Beaulieu et al, 2015; Betz‐Hamilton & Vincenti, 2018; DeLiema, 2018; Knight et al, 2016; Mukherjee, 2013; Zannettino et al, 2015), (c) impacts on family systems ( n = 2; Petrusic et al, 2015; Vincenti et al, 2014), and (d) challenges in reporting EFFE ( n = 2; Adams et al, 2014; Wendt et al, 2015).…”

“…It is widely acknowledged that the definitions and conceptual development of elder abuse, including EFFE, vary across countries and cultures (Jackson, 2015; Pillemer et al, 2016). Four studies identified in this review examined the phenomenon of EFFE with an ethnic minority cultural lens (Lee & Eaton, 2009; Lee et al, 2012) or nonwestern culture lens (Lee et al, 2013; Petrusic et al, 2015). Two identified articles (Lee & Eaton, 2009; Lee et al, 2012) were guided by the theoretical construct of individualistic versus collectivistic cultural values (Markus & Kitayama, 1991), exploring Korean American elders' perceptions of EFFE.…”

“…Findings consistently reflected that the adherence to traditional values (i.e., collectivistic values) may cause an elder to interpret a situation of financial exploitation as a form of family obligation rather than abuse, with EFFE victims tending to tolerate abuse, self‐blame, and mistrust third‐party intervention. Two studies broadly explored the cultural norms and perceptions of EFFE among older adults in specific ethnic groups (Lee et al, 2013; Petrusic et al, 2015). Elders from South Korea provided a culture‐centered definition of financial abuse (Lee et al, 2013).…”

“…Findings showed that two‐thirds of respondents perceived adult children's lack of financial support of their elder parents as being equivalent to EFFE, reflecting Korean cultural norms of filial responsibilities. Petrusic et al (2015) studied older women in Serbia and found a majority of respondents reported providing financial support to families of their adult children and grandchildren, simultaneously forgoing their own basic needs. Study findings reflected the cultural ideal of self‐sacrifice in patriarchal family relations, contributing to low recognition and reporting of family financial exploitation of elder women in Serbia.…”