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Formal Assistance Among Dutch Older Adults: An Examination of the Gendered Nature of Marital History

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Andrew V. Wister  and
Pearl A. Dykstra
Andrew V. Wister
Affiliation:
Simon Fraser University
Pearl A. Dykstra
Affiliation:
Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute
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Abstract

Drawing from life course theory, this article examines gender differences in formal assistance among functionally dependent Dutch older persons within five distinct marital history groups – first-married, never-married, divorced (not remarried), widowed (not remarried) and the remarried. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses are performed for each of the marital history groups to test hypotheses regarding the interrelationships among gender and three sets of variables: 1) measures of age and functional health; 2) measures of socio-economic status; and 3) measures of the social network. The results indicate gendered patterns of formal help use among the first-married, never-married and widowed. Consistent with other studies, older first-married women are approximately three times more likely to receive formal help than are men, a difference that remains robust after statistically controlling for other factors, including frailty of spouse. However, we also find that never-married women are about one-third as likely to use formal help than are never-married men, which may be reflective of different preferences regarding formal service use. Among the widowed, we find that men with poorer functional health are more likely to receive formal help than are their female counterparts, suggesting contrasting patterns of help-seeking behaviour and social vulnerability. Additional differences are observed among the marital history groups in terms of the other independent variables, which are also interpreted from a life course perspective.

Résumé

S'inspirant d'une théorie du cours de la vie, cet article examine les différences entre les sexes reliées à l'aide formelle accordée à des aîné(e)s hollandais(e)s non autonomes sur le plan fonctionnel. On a examiné cinq groupes distincts quant à la situation matrimoniale: gens mariés une seule fois, célibataires, divorcés (non remariés), veufs ou veuves (non remariés) et gens remariés. On a effectué des analyses de régression logistique hiérarchique de chaque catégorie matrimoniale pour vérifier les hypothèses concernant les rapports entre les sexes et trois ensembles de variables: 1) mesure de l'âge et de l'état de santé; 2) mesure de la situation socio-économique et 3) mesure du réseau social. Les résultats font ressortir une configuration par sexe de l'aide formelle utilisée chez les gens mariés une fois, qui n'ont jamais été mariés et chez les veufs ou veuves. Conformément aux autres études, les femmes âgées qui ont été mariées une seule fois sont environ trois fois plus enclines à recevoir de l'aide formelle que les hommes, un écart qui demeure soutenu même après un examen statistique d'autres facteurs, notamment la fragilité du conjoint. Cependant, on remarque aussi que les femmes qui n'ont jamais été mariées sont 66 pour cent moins enclines à recevoir des soins formels que les hommes qui n'ont jamais été mariés, ce qui pourrait être un indice des préférences en ce qui concerne l'utilisation de soins formels. Chez les veufs et les veuves, on constate que les hommes dont la santé est plus fragile auront plus tendance à recevoir des soins formels que leurs homologues féminins, ce qui laisse croire à une configuration différente du comportement à l'égard de la recherche de l'aide et de la vulnérabilité sociale. On remarque d'autres différences de variables chez les groupes, en fonction de leur situation matrimoniale, et elles sont interprétées dans une perspective de cycle de vie.

Keywords

Formal AssistanceGenderMarital History.Aide structuréegenresituation matrimoniale.
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 19 , Issue 4 , Hiver/Winter 2000 , pp. 508 - 535
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2000

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