Chapter 9 Flashcards
What are the key functions of a family?
Physical maintenance & care
Adding new members (procreation/adoption)
Socialization (values, life skills)
Social control
Economic support (goods/services)
Affective nurturance (love)
No singular definition
What are the 6 major changes in family/kinship structures?
Longer kinship systems (more intergenerational ties).
Shift from age-condensed (early childbearing) to age-gapped (~30-year gaps).
Truncated families (lineage ends if youngest is childless).
More blended/reconstituted families.
Older adults cohabiting (common-law).
Rise in same-sex partnerships.
fictive kin
non-blood or marriage bonds (friends as family)
What 4 dimensions shape family relationships in later life?
Number/type of relatives available.
Patterns of contact/interaction.
Relationship quality.
Support exchanges (direction/type).
kin keepers
often women who maintain family ties
What predicts marital satisfaction in later life?
Closeness as confidants.
Agreement on marital roles.
Health, communication, intimacy.
Gender difference: Marriage benefits men’s health more.
Describe the 5 patterns of sibling relationships in later life.
Childhood closeness → adulthood distance.
Lifelong best friends.
Gradual drifting apart.
Renewed closeness in old age.
Conflict (e.g., over caregiving/inheritance).
ambivalence definition
mixed feelings (love + resentment)
How do crises impact parent-adult child relationships?
Strengthened by: Grandchildren’s birth, shared caregiving.
Strained by: Divorce, financial dependency, elder abuse.
Divorce effect: Less contact with fathers; mothers get more support.
How has grandparenting changed?
Declining duration: Due to delayed childbearing.
Age-gapped vs. condensed: Grandparents in 30s (condensed) vs. 60s (gapped).
Divorce impact: Maternal grandparents gain contact; paternal lose it.
Skip-generation households: Grandparents raising grandchildren (e.g., due to AIDS/crisis).
What are pros/cons of childlessness in later life?
Fewer worries, financial freedom, flexibility.
Cons: Loneliness, lack of caregiving support, feeling “incomplete.”
Never-married older women: Often educated/independent; men: Less secure.
Contrast empty nest vs. refilled nest.
Empty nest: Freedom vs. loss of purpose (common in North America).
Refilled nest: Adult children return (25% of 20–34-year-olds); stress or mutual support.
other transitions besides empty and refilled nest
Other Transitions:
Divorce: Late-life divorces rise; women often financially disadvantaged.
Widowhood: Women adapt better socially; men remarry sooner.
Cohabitation: More accepted; nursing homes may discourage it.
Who are the most common perpetrators of elder abuse?
Family members (financial fraud, neglect).
Census family
married/ commonlaw
economic family
shared dwelling, related by blood marriage or adoption
living apart together (LAT)
committed but separate homes
