Marital status of people aged 75 and over in nine EU countries in the period 2000–2030

Abstract

The marital status of older people has a number of socio-economic impacts. This paper presents key findings from a set of population projections for older people by age, sex and marital status for nine European countries. We use original data for national sources but we adjust the mortality and nuptiality rates for older ages by modelling existing cohort data. We then use robust assumptions for improvements in life expectancy at birth and we use these to constrain projection models. The projections refer to the period 2000-2030 and the following countries: Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal and The United Kingdom. Similar trends will occur in all countries; married people will account for most of the increase among those aged 75 and older by 2030, followed by divorced men and women, who exhibit the highest proportional increase.

Determinants of home-based formal help in community-dwelling older people in Finland

“…Population projections show that the proportions of older people living with a spouse and of those having surviving children are increasing during the next 30 years, suggesting an increase in the availability of informal help (Kalogirou and Murphy 2006;Murphy et al 2006). However, more information is needed on the willingness and abilities of spouses and children in different life circumstances and social contexts to provide informal help to family members in need of care.…”

Loneliness in old age in Eastern and Western European societies: theoretical perspectives

“…In 2001, the proportion of married women in this age group varied between 18 % (Eastern Europe, Czech Republic) and 26 % (Western Europe, France), while the differences for men ranged from 62 % in England and Wales to 69 % in the Czech Republic. In the next decade, this situation will change (especially for women): The proportion of widowed older people will become smaller, and the proportions of both married and divorced persons will increase (Kalogirou and Murphy 2006). Living together with a partner is quite often associated with lower prevalence of loneliness (Sundström et al 2009).…”

Who will be caring for Europe's dependent elders in 2030?

“…The matrices of transition between the various situations (deaths and marital status) were calculated with the LIPRO model (van Imhoff and Keilman, 1991). The results of these projections by marital status have been published (Kalogirou and Murphy, 2006) and Table 1 summarizes their main tendencies.…”

“…On this point, the main uncertainty concerns trends in marital structures. Yet we know that the projected trends are based on robust assumptions (Kalogirou and Murphy, 2006). In fact, they depend mainly on the current proportion of married persons and on mortality trends, with changes in marriage rates, divorce rates and migration having only marginal effects.…”