Support of Childless Older People in Europe

Western societies age rapidly. Today, people do not only live longer, they also have fewer children. These developments exert considerable pressure on pension and health systems. Children are the most important source of support in old age, especially when there is no partner. Older parents do not only receive most support from their children but also transfer significant amounts of money to them. In times of rising childlessness we thus face new challenges: On which support networks do childless older people rely? (How) can the lack of children be compensated? Who provides help and care? We assess the support networks of the childless aged 50 and over in 14 European countries based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). When comparing support networks of childless older people to parent`s networks we focus on the importance of the extended family as well as public services. Our analyses show that financial transfers are diminished considerably and private help is often taken over by the extended family and neighbors. Intense care tasks, however, are mostly provided by public providers. The family and especially intergenerational relations play an important role for support in old age. When there are no children (or children live far away), vital support for older persons has to be taken over by public providers in many cases. In countries with low social service provision, childless older people thus experience a lack of help, especially when depending on vital care. This project is a cooperation with Christian Deindl, University of Cologne.