Providing an integrated and thorough representation from current research and contemporary society, Family Ties and Aging shows how pressing issues of our time—an aging population, changing family structures, and new patterns of work-family balance—are negotiated in the family lives of middle-aged and older adults.
Focusing on key questions such as ‘How do current trends and social arrangements affect family relationships?’ and ‘What are the implications of what we know for future research, theory, practice, and policy?’, authors Ingrid Arnet Connidis and Amanda E. Barnett explore groups and relationships that are typically overlooked, including the unique family situations of older single and childless persons, sibling ties, older lesbian and gay adults, and new forms of intimate relationships. The Third Edition is thoroughly updated to include the latest research and theoretical developments, recent media coverage of related issues, and new information on intimate relationships in later life and elder neglect/abuse.
Tabella dei contenuti
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I. Introduction and Overview
Chapter 1: Older Persons in a Family Context
The Relevance of Studying Family Relationships in Older Age
The Place of Older People in Families of the Past and Present
Theoretical Orientation
Underlying Assumptions
Dimensions of Family Ties and Plan of the Book
Thinking Ahead
Chapter 2: The Availability of Family Ties in Later Life
Demographic Trends and Family Structure
The Availability of a Marital or Intimate Partner
The Availability of Children
The Availability of Grandchildren
The Availability of Siblings
Living Arrangements in Later Life
Summary
Conclusion to Part I
Part II. Intimate Ties
Chapter 3: Intimate Ties in Later Life
Defining Intimate Ties
The Significance of Marital Status
Sexuality and Aging
Summary
Chapter 4: Long-Term Intimate Partnerships: Marriage and Same-Sex Unions
Marriage in Later Life
Gay and Lesbian Partnerships
The Impact of Life Transitions on Intimate Ties
Summary
Chapter 5: Transitions in Intimate Ties: Loss of a Long-Term Partner
Widowhood
The Death of a Same-Sex Partner
Divorce
Dissolution of Same-Sex Relationships
Summary
Chapter 6: Being Single in Later Life
Portrayals of Being Single
Trends in Staying Single
The Transition to Being Single
The Lives of Older Single Persons
Gay and Lesbian Singles in Mid- and Later Life
Summary
Chapter 7: New Opportunities for Intimacy in Later Life
Remarriage
Cohabitation
Living Apart Together
Dating and Steady Companions
Sexual Intimacy among the Unattached in Later Life
Summary
Conclusion to Part II
Part III. Intergenerational Relations
Chapter 8: Exploring Intergenerational Relations
Perspectives on Intergenerational Relations
Older Parents and Their Adult Children
Chapter 9: Support Exchanges Between Older Parents and Adult Children
Perspectives on Support Exchanges
Parental Support to Adult Children
Child Support to Older Parents
Summary
Chapter 10: Childless Older Persons
Transitions to Childlessness
The Impact of Being Childless on Social Activity and Support in Later Life
The Impact of Being Childless on Quality of Life in Older Age
Summary
Chapter 11: Grandparents and Grandchildren
Availability of and Contact with Grandparents and Grandchildren
The Nature of Grandparent–Grandchild Relations
Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren
The Death of Grandparents
Summary
Chapter 12: Partner Transitions, Stepties, and Intergenerational Relations
The Impact of Divorce on Ties between Older Parents and their Children
The Impact of Divorce on Grandparent–Grandchild Ties
Remarriage, Stepties, and Intergenerational Relations
Summary
Conclusion to Part III
Part IV. Sibling Relationships
Chapter 13: Sibling Ties in Middle and Later Life
Unique Features of Sibling Ties
Diversity Among Siblings
Availability of and Contact with Siblings
The Nature of Sibling Ties in Later Life
Chapter 14: Life Transitions and Sibling Ties
The Impact of Changes in Marital and Parental Status
Aunts and Uncles, Nieces and Nephews
Sharing Caring for Parents
Support Exchanges Among Older Siblings
Summary and Conclusion to Part IV
Part V. Research and Policy
Chapter 15: Research and Policy: Issues and Directions
Research Issues
Social Policy
Summary and Conclusion to Part V
References
Index
About the Authors
Circa l’autore
Amanda E. Barnett is Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI, United States. Her work focuses on the areas of caregiving, intergenerational relationships, and late life family decision-making. She was the 2010 recipient of the Gerontological Society of America Emerging Scholar and Professional Organization Interdisciplinary Paper Award, and the 2010-2011 recipient of the Shelley Joseph Kordell Scholarship from the University of Minnesota Center on Aging for her pursuit of a career in aging. She has presented and published her research on a range of topics including marital relationships of grandparents raising grandchildren, financial long-term care decisions among couples, adult child caregivers’ multiple roles and health outcomes, and intergenerational resource transfers. Her work appears in a variety of journals, including Journal of Marriage and Family, Research on Aging, International Journal of Aging and Human Development, Journal of Family and Economic Issues, and Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning.
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