The babyboomer generation and family support a European perspective

1
The baby-boomer generation and family support -
a European perspective

• Jim OGG, Young Foundation, London and
  Caisse Nationale dAssurance Vieillesse, Paris
  
• 33rd Global conference of ICSW, Tours, France, 2
  July 2008

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Research questions

• Do patterns of time transfers by baby-boomers to
  their elderly parents reflect the culture,
  demography and political history of individual
  European nations?
• What is the profile of baby-boomers who help
  their parents?

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Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
- 2004

Households with members 50
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Completed Fertility Rates for SHARE countries
Mean number of children born to women of a given
generation
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Mean number of parents and ascendants alive for
birth cohort 1945-1954
Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany Switzerland
Austria France Italy Spain
Greece Birth cohort 1945-1954
6
Help given to parents and parents-in-law
(outside household)
Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany Switzerland
Austria France Italy Spain
GreeceBirth cohort 1945-1954
7
Help given to parents and parents-in-law
(outside household)
Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany Switzerland
Austria France Italy Spain Greece
Birth cohort 1945-1954
8
Proportion of baby boomers (among those with a
parent alive) who live in the same house or build
ing
9
Help given to parents (in-laws) or living in the
same household/building
Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany Switzerland
Austria France Italy Spain Greece
Birth cohort 1945-1954
10
Help/no help between parents and children
(inside/outside the household)
Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany Switzerland
Austria France Italy Spain Greece
Birth cohort 1945-1954
11
Help almost daily between parents and children
(inside/outside the household)
Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany Switzerland
Austria France Italy Spain Greece
Birth cohort 1945-1954
12
Summary of significant regression coefficients
(baby-boomers
giving help to parents
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Summary

• European baby boomers help their elderly parents
  in different ways
  
• Notions of help differ response effect?
• No evidence of substantial weakening of
  intergenerational relations among baby boomers in
  northern and continental Europe