Family Development

Family  Key social institution Caregiving Caregiving Socialization Socialization  Definition?  “group of people related by blood, marriage, or adoption”  Changing definition Structures Structures Blended families Blended families

 Nuclear (co-residing)  Extended (do not co-reside)  Family of orientation (birth/adoptive)  Family of procreation (having own children)

Statistics Canada  Census Family Married (legal, common-law) with or without never-married children, or Married (legal, common-law) with or without never-married children, or Lone parent with at least one never-married child Lone parent with at least one never-married child  Economic Family 2 or more people related by blood, marriage, common-law, adoption 2 or more people related by blood, marriage, common-law, adoption Living in same household Living in same household

Stats Can  Private Household Person or group of people who occupy a private dwelling Person or group of people who occupy a private dwelling  Family Household Private household that contains at least one census family Private household that contains at least one census family  Non-Family Household Private household that consists of one person living alone or group of people who do not constitute a census family Private household that consists of one person living alone or group of people who do not constitute a census family

 Complexities of categorizing  Change over lifespan Problem in “co-residency” as defining characteristic of families Problem in “co-residency” as defining characteristic of families Why? Why? E.g., widowed woman living with granddaughter – family member but in “non- family household” E.g., widowed woman living with granddaughter – family member but in “non- family household”

Family Development

 Dynamic Reciprocity Reciprocity Changing Changing  Birth Rates in Canada Dropping – Why? Dropping – Why?  Economics  Delayed Parenthood

Average age at first birth increasing

Increased percentage of women in labour force

Economics of Parenthood

Family Life Cycle  Evelyn Mills Duval (1997)  8 stages  Relation to marital satisfaction Changing perceptions of equity (fairness) Changing perceptions of equity (fairness) Why? Why?

 Robert Havinghurst (1953)  Family Developmental Tasks Growing responsibilities Growing responsibilities  Problems (Butler, Duval, Havinghurst Family Development models) Assumption of universality Assumption of universality Increase in off-time childbearing (applicability to late life families?) Increase in off-time childbearing (applicability to late life families?) Increased life expectancy, earlier retirement: need for pre-, early-, and post-retirement stages? Increased life expectancy, earlier retirement: need for pre-, early-, and post-retirement stages?

Assumption of Universality  No accommodation of individual variations  Increase in blended families  Increase in lone-parent families  Reduced family size  Changing parental roles

Myths about families in the past  Traditional nuclear family  But: demographics of past generations High infant, child mortality rates High infant, child mortality rates Maternal mortality Maternal mortality Life expectancy Life expectancy

% People with one parent alive Age of Parent Birth Year of child %82% 5016%60% 602%23%

 Multigenerational families rare in past  Wealth of elderly family members determined treatment/status

Structure of Aging Families  Marital status of males and females Middle to late adulthood Middle to late adulthood

Males

Females

Gender differences  Older men more likely to be married than older women  Widowhood “expected life event” for women in late adulthood Greater life expectancy Greater life expectancy Age difference between spouses Age difference between spouses  Men more likely than women to remarry Demographic reality: fewer unmarried older men Demographic reality: fewer unmarried older men Sexist social norms: age differences Sexist social norms: age differences

Divorce  More commonly experienced life event Data unclear with growing incidence of common-law marriages Data unclear with growing incidence of common-law marriages Preceding cohabitation more likely to end in divorce Preceding cohabitation more likely to end in divorce  Negative economic consequences for women, not as likely for men  Remarriage after divorce decreasing Partly due to increases in cohabitation Partly due to increases in cohabitation Men more likely to remarry after divorce Men more likely to remarry after divorce  Current elderly not likely to have experienced cohabitation, divorce, remarriage Implications for future generations? Implications for future generations? More complexity, financial security? More complexity, financial security?

Living Arrangements  Living with spouse 60% elderly men 60% elderly men 40% women 40% women  Living alone Women: % Women: % Men: 13-20% Men: 13-20%

 Increases in female life expectancy  Declining fertility  Economic feasibility not a significant factor But pension improvements may be important But pension improvements may be important  Normative changes related to independence, privacy, individualism

Multigenerational Living  Approximately 13% of Canadian elders  Influence of ethnic origin Foreign-born, more likely to live in 3- generation household Foreign-born, more likely to live in 3- generation household  “beanpole” families 4-5 generations 4-5 generations Not common Not common Late childbearing age: age gap between generations Late childbearing age: age gap between generations

 Sandwich generation Needs of dependent children and elderly parents Needs of dependent children and elderly parents Not commonplace in Canada Not commonplace in Canada  Empty nest vs. “cluttered nest” Children leaving home at older ages Children leaving home at older ages Adult children more likely to “boomerang” back Adult children more likely to “boomerang” back

Grandparenthood  Majority of elderly  Contribution to grandchildren  Gender differences: affect

Affect differences  Women more likely to be grandparents for longer time  Grandparent-child tie more emotionally close among grandmothers  Mediated by middle generation: opposite effects Divorce in middle generation: possible denial of contact Divorce in middle generation: possible denial of contact Grandparents as “parents” if middle generation unable to care for children Grandparents as “parents” if middle generation unable to care for children

Widowhood  “expected” life event  Associated with financial difficulty  Stress Change in identity Change in identity New relationships with children, other family members, friends, other men New relationships with children, other family members, friends, other men

Adult sibling relationships  Importance varies over life course  Later life Growth in importance Growth in importance  Influenced by geographical proximity geographical proximity Gender (sisters closer) Gender (sisters closer) Marital status (more importance to never- married) Marital status (more importance to never- married) Parental status (more important to childless) Parental status (more important to childless)

Family Conflict  Elder Abuse Extreme form of conflict/elder maltreatments Extreme form of conflict/elder maltreatments Physical, psychological, financial Physical, psychological, financial Not as common as other forms Not as common as other forms 4-8 percent victims of abuse/neglect in home and institutional settings 4-8 percent victims of abuse/neglect in home and institutional settings Family Family Spouses more likely to be perpetrators than childrenSpouses more likely to be perpetrators than children Men more likely to be physically abusiveMen more likely to be physically abusive Women more likely to be abusive through neglectWomen more likely to be abusive through neglect

Violence against elderly  Related to four factors Problems of abuser (mental illness, drug addiction) Problems of abuser (mental illness, drug addiction) Dependency of abuser on victim (especially financial dependency) Dependency of abuser on victim (especially financial dependency) Social isolation Social isolation External stresses on family members External stresses on family members  Perpetuation of wife abuse into later life  Need for social solutions

Review Cognitive development Cognitive development Intelligence: change, stability, growthIntelligence: change, stability, growth Distinction: cross-sectional vs. longitudinalDistinction: cross-sectional vs. longitudinal Social development Social development theories, friendship, mate selection, sexualitytheories, friendship, mate selection, sexuality Family development Family development structure, changes, relationsstructure, changes, relations