Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Transitions in Later Life and the Re-configuration of Family Relationships in the Third Age: The Case of the Baby Boomers

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Handbook of Family Sociology in Europe

Abstract

In this chapter, we examine the consequences of demographic and social transformations on the reconfiguration of conjugal and family relationships in later life. In order to understand how ageing individuals and their families reshape these relationships the focus is on the ‘third age’ and, in particular, the experience of the 1946–1954 birth cohort of baby boomers. This generation took an active part in all the transformations that marked the second half of the twentieth century: the important growth of affluence and consumption, increased education, and women’s emancipation with entry in large numbers of women into professional occupations. These trends were accompanied by a rise in individualism and quests for new self-identities which in turn impacted on family life with the rise of unmarried cohabitation, and that of the rise of divorces and remarriages. Aspirations of autonomy and freedom that have been characteristic of the baby boomer generation are tempered with existing and new family obligations in later life. The baby boomer generation, which has now entered the period of the life course associated with the third age, has sought compromises between self-aspirations and intergenerational family solidarity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 219.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 279.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Albertini, M., and Kohli, M. 2009. “What Childless Older People Give: Is the Generational Link Broken?” Ageing & Society 29 (8): 1261–1274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allan, G. 2001. “Personal Relationships in Late Modernity.” Personal Relationships 8 (3): 325–339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alwin, D. F., McCammon, R. J., and Hofer, S. M. (2004). “Studying Baby Boom Cohorts Within a Demographic and Developmental Context: Conceptual and Methodological Issues.” In The Baby Boomers at Midlife: Contemporary Perspectives on Middle Age, edited by Krauss Whitbourne, S. and Willis, S. L. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amato, P., and Booth, A. 1995. “Changes in Gender ROLE Attitudes and Perceived Marital Quality.” American Sociological Review 60 (1): 58–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Angelini, V., Laferrère, A., and Weber, G. 2013. “Home-ownership in Europe: How Did It Happen?” Advances in Life Course Research 18 (1): 83–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arber, S., Andersson, L., and Hoff, A. 2007. “Changing Approaches to Gender and Ageing: Introduction.” Current Sociology 55 (2): 147–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arber, S., and Attias-Donfut, C. 2002. The Myth of Intergenerational Conflict: The Family and State in Ageing Societies. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Attias-Donfut, C., ed. 1995. Les solidarités entre générations. Vieillesse, Familles, État. Paris: Nathan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Attias-Donfut C., ed. 2006. L’enracinement. Paris: Armand Colin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Attias-Donfut C., Cook J., Hoffman J., and Waite L. 2012. Citizenship, Belonging and Intergenerational Relations in African Migration. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Auger, F. 2016. L’aménagement de l’habitat chez des couples de nouveaux retraités Baby-Boomers : vivre le présent, anticiper l’avenir ? (The Development of Housing by Newly Retired Couples of Baby-Boomers : Living the Present, Anticipating the Future ?) Sociologie. Université Charles de Gaulle—Lille III, Français. Available at https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01469229/ Accessed 1 November 2020.

  • Avdeev, A., Eremenko, T., Festy, P., Gaymu, J., Le Bouteillec, N., and Springer, S. 2011. “Populations et tendances démographiques des pays européens (1980–2010).” Population 66 (1): 9–129. https://doi.org/10.3917/popu.1101.0009.

  • Badinter, E. 2010. Le conflit. La femme et la mère. Paris: Flammarion.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bergström, M. 2018. “De quoi l’écart d’âge est-il le nombre ? L’apport des big data à l’étude de la différence d’âge au sein des couples.” Revue française de sociologie 59 (3): 395–422.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertaux-Wiame, I. 2006. “Conjugalité et mobilité professionnelle : le dilemme de l’égalité.” Cahiers du Genre 41 (2): 49–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biggs, S., Phillipson, C., Money, A. M., and Leach, R. 2007. “Baby Boomers and Adult Ageing: Issues for Social and Public Policy.” Quality in Ageing and Older Adults 8 (3).

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonvalet C. 2003. “The Local Family Circle.” Population (English Edition) 58 (1): 9-42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonvalet, C., and Ogg, J. 2009. The Baby-Boomers: A Mobile Generation. Oxford: The Bardwell Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonvalet, C., Clément, C., and Ogg, J. 2015. Renewing the Family. : A History of the Baby Boomers. Series: INED Population Studies, Vol. 4. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonvalet C., and Lelièvre E. 2016. “Grandparents : From Neglect to Idolization.” In Family Beyond Household and Kin : Life Event Histories and Entourage, a French Survey, INED population studies 6, 133-149. Cham: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, S. L., and Wright, M. R. 2017. “Marriage, Cohabitation, and Divorce in Later Life.”Innovation in Aging 1 (2): igx015. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igx015.

  • Cambois, E., and Robine, J-M. 2017. “L’allongement de l’espérance de vie en Europe: Quelles conséquences pour l’état de santé.” Revue européenne des sciences sociales 55–1: 41–67‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caradec, V. 2004. Vieillir après la retraite. Approche sociologique du vieillissement. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chauvel, L. 1998. Le destin des générations. Structure sociale et cohortes en France au XXe siècle. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chauvel, L. 2013. “Specificity and Consistency of Cohort Effects: The APCD Model Applied to Generational Inequalities, France, United States, 1985–2010.” Revue française de sociologie 54: 665–705.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connidis, I., and McMullin, J. 2002. “Sociological Ambivalence and Family Ties: A Critical Perspective.” Journal of Marriage and the Family 64 (3): 558–567.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daatland, S. O., and Herlofson, K. 2003. “‘Lost Solidarity’ or ‘Changed Solidarity’: A Comparative European View of Normative Family Solidarity.” Ageing and Society 23 (5): 537–560.

    Google Scholar 

  • Déchaux, J. H. 2010. Sociologie de la famille. Paris: Repères.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delbès, C., and Gaymu, J. 2003. “Passé 60 ans : de plus en plus souvent en couple?” Population et sociétés, Num 389, 4 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dench, G., and Ogg, J. 2002. Grandparenting in Britain. London: Institute of Community Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Singly, F. 2009. Sociologie de la famille contemporaine. Paris: Armand Colin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eismann, M., Henkens, K., and Kalmijn, M. 2017. “Spousal Preferences for Joint Retirement: Evidence from a Multiactor Survey Among Older Dual-earner Couples.” Psychology and Aging 32 (8): 689–697.

    Google Scholar 

  • Etzioni, A. 1995. The Responsive Community: A Communitarian Perspective. Presidential Address, American Sociological Association, (August 20).

    Google Scholar 

  • Fingerman, K. L., and Dolbin-MacNab, M. 2006. “The Baby Boomers and Their Parents: Cohort Influences and Intergenerational Ties.” In The Baby Boomers Grow Up: Contemporary Perspectives on Midlife, edited by S. K. Whitbourne and S. L Willis, 237–259. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fingerman, K. L., and Birditt, K. S. 2011. “Adult Children and Aging Parents.” In Handbook of the Psychology of Aging, edited by K. W. Schaie and S. L. Willis, 7th ed., 219–232. New York: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallou, R. et al. 2019. Vers de nouvelles dynamiques de mobilité résidentielle ? L’enquête Amare (Ancrage et Mobilité résidentielle à la Retraite), Les cahiers de la Cnav, juillet 2019, no. 13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gattai, F. B., and Musatti, T. 1999. “Grandmothers’ Involvement in Grandchildren’s Care: Attitudes, Feelings, and Emotions.” Family Relations 48 (1): 35–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaymu, J., and Springer, S. 2012. “How Does Living Alone or With a Partner Influence Life Satisfaction Among Older Men and Women in Europe?” Population (English edition) 67: 43–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • George, L. K. 1993. “Sociological Perspectives on Life Transitions.” Annual Review of Sociology 19 (1): 353–373.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giddens, A. 1991. Modernity and Self-Identity:. Self and Society in the Late Modern Age. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilleard, C., and Higgs, P. 2007. “The Third Age and the Baby Boomers.” International Journal of Ageing and Later Life 2 (2): 13–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Girardin, M., and Widmer, E. D. 2015. “Lay Definitions of Family and Social Capital in Later Life.” Personal Relationships 22: 712–737.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gourdon, V. 2001. Histoire des grands-parents. Paris: Plon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray, A. 2009. “The Social Capital of Older People.” Ageing & Society 29 (1): 5–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, E., and Shelton, N. 2001. “Contact Between Adult Children and Their Parents in Great Britain 1986–99.” Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space 33 (4): 685–697.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grundy, E., and Henretta, J. C. 2006. “Between Elderly Parents and Adult Children: A New Look at the Intergenerational Care Provided by “the Sandwich Generation”. Ageing and Society 26: 707–722.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guillemard, A.-M. 1972. La retraite, une mort sociale. Paris/La Haye: Mouton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hareven, T., and Adams, K. J., eds. 1978. Ageing, and Life Course Transitions. New York: Tavistock.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hakim, C. 1996. “The Sexual Division of Labour and Women’s Heterogeneity.” The British Journal of Sociology 47 (1): 178–188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hakim C. 2000. Work Lifestyle Choices in the 2st Century: Preference Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, P. 2020. “Denmark.” In Extended Working Life Policies: International Gender and Health Perspectives, edited by Léime, Aine, Ogg, Jim Rasticova, Martina, Street, Debra, Krekula, Clary, Bédiovâ, Monika, and Madero-Cabib, Ignacio. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koropeckyj-Cox, T. 1998. “Loneliness and Depression in Middle and Old Age: Are the Childless More Vulnerable?” Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 53B (6): S303–S312.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leach, R., Phillipson, C., Biggs, S., and Money, A. 2013. “Baby Boomers, Consumption and Social Change: The Bridging Generation?” International Review of Sociology: Revue Internationale de Sociologie 23 (1): 104–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Bihan-Youinou, B., and Martin, C. 2006. “Travailler et prendre soin d’un parent âgé dépendant.” Travail, genre et sociétés 16 (2): 77–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, I. F., and Wolf, D. A. 2019. “Division of Parent Care Among Adult Children.” The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, gbz162, https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbz162.

  • Lowenstein, A., and Daatland, S. O. 2006. “Filial Norms and Family Support in a Comparative Cross-National Context: Evidence from the OASIS Study.” Ageing amp; Society 26: 203–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lüscher, K., and Pillemer, K. A. 1998. Inter-generational Ambivalence: A New Approach to the Study of Parent-Child Relations in Later Life. Journal of Marriage and the Family 60: 413–425.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lüscher, K. 2002. “Intergenerational Ambivalence: Further Steps in Theory and Research.” Journal of Marriage and Family 64 (3): 585–593.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mannheim, K. 1928. “Das Problem der Generationen.” Kölner Vierteljahres Hefte für Soziologie 7: 157–185, 309–330; 1952, The Problem of Generations. In Essays on the Sociology of Knowledge. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 276–320; 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, B. 2006. The Boomerang Age. Transitions to Adulthood in Families. London: Adline Transaction.

    Google Scholar 

  • Monnier, A. 2007. “Baby Boomers: Towards the End of an Era.”Population & Societies: 1–4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ní Léime, A., Ogg, J., Rasticova, M., Street, D., Krekula, C., Bédiovâ, M., and Madero-Cabib, I., eds. 2020. Extended Working Life Policies: International Gender and Health Perspectives. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nocon, A., and Pearson, M. 2000. “The Roles of Friends and Neighbours in Providing Support for Older People.” Ageing & Society 20 (3): 341–367.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. 2018. “Are Survivor’s Pensions Still Needed?” In OECD Pensions Outlook, 2018. Available at https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/pens_outlook-2018–10-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/pens_outlook-2018-10-en. Accessed 1 November 2020.

  • Ogg, J., and Renaut, S. 2006. “The Support of Parents in Old Age by Those Born During 1945–1954: A European Perspective.” Ageing & Society 26 (5): 723–743.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogg, J., Bonvalet, C., and Gallou, R. 2012. “Patrimoine immobilier et retraite: regard sur les couples.” Retraite et société 62 (1): 59–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogg, J., Gallou R., and Bonvalet, C. La fin de carrière professionnelle : une affaire de couple (The End of Working Life: A Joint Decision). Espace populations sociétés [Online, 2013/3 | 2013, last accessed 9 September 2020, http://journals.openedition.org/eps/5570; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/eps.5570.

  • Olazabal, I., ed. 2009. Que sont les baby-boomers devenus ? Aspects sociaux d’une génération vieillissante. Québec: Éditions Nota Bene.

    Google Scholar 

  • Owram, D. 1996. Born at the Right Time: A History of the Baby Boom Generation. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pahl, R. 2000. On Friendship. Oxford: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pahl, R., and Spencer, L. 2006. Rethinking Friendship: Hidden Solidarities Today. Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peugny, C., and Van de Velde, C. 2013. “Rethinking Inter-generational Inequality.” Revue française de sociologie 54: 641–662.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillipson, C., Bernard, M., Phillips, J., and Ogg, J. 1998. “The Family and Community Life of Older People: Household Composition and Social Networks in Three Urban Areas.” Ageing & Society 18 (3): 259–289.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillipson, C. 2001. “Change in the Family Life of Older People.” In International Perspectives on Families, Aging and Social support, edited by V. Bengtson and A. Lowenstein. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillipson, C., Leach, R., Money, A., and Biggs, S. 2008. “Social and Cultural Constructions of Ageing: The Case of the Baby Boomers.” Sociological Research 13 (3): 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillipson, C. 2015. “The Political Economy of Longevity: Developing New Forms of Solidarity for Later Life.” The Sociological Quarterly 56 (1): 80–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Platts, L., Corna, L., Worts, D., McDonough, P., Price, D., and Glaser, K. 2019. “Returns to Work After Retirement: A Prospective Study of Unretirement in the United Kingdom.” Ageing and Society 39 (3): 439–464.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pickering, J., Crooks, V. A., Snyder, J., and Morgan, J. 2019. “What Is Known About the Factors Motivating Short-term International Retirement Migration? A Scoping Review.” Journal of Population Ageing 12 (3): 379–395.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam Rt., D. 2000. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Simon & Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renaut, S. 2001. L’entraide familiale dans un environnement multigénérationnel: Familles, vieillissement et générations’ [Counting on the Family in a Multigenerational Environment : Families, Aging and Generations]. Recherches et Prévisions 71: 21–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roquebert, Q., Fontaine, R., and Gramain, A. 2018. “Caring for a Dependent Elderly Parent: Care Arrangements and Sibling Interactions in France.” Population 73: 307–332.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roussel, L., and Bourguignon, O. 1978. Générations nouvelles et mariage traditionnel. Paris: Presse Universitaires de France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Segalen, M., and Martial, A. 2019. Sociologie de la famille. Paris: Armand Colin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siren, A., and Casier, F. 2019. “Socio-Economic and Lifestyle Determinants of Giving Practical Support to Adult Children in the Era of Changing Late Life.” Ageing & Society 39 (9): 1933–1950.

    Google Scholar 

  • Statham, J. 2011. Grandparents Providing Child Care. Briefing Paper. London: Child Wellbeing Research Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, N. L., and Van Tilburg, T. G. 2011. “Cohort Differences in Having and Retaining Friends in Personal Networks in Later Life.” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 28 (1): 24–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Townsend, P. 1981. “The Structured Dependency of the Elderly: A Creation of Social Policy in the Twentieth Century.” Ageing & Society 1 (1): 5–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tobio, Constanza. 2001. “Working Grandmothers in Spain.” European Societies 3 (3).

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Bavel, J., and Reher, D. S. 2013. “The Baby Boom and Its Causes: What We Know and What We Need to Know.” Population and Development Review 39 (2): 257–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Pevenage, I. (2015). “Les sens de l’autonomie. Regards d’enfants du baby-boom sur leurs mères âgées.” In Les baby-boomers, une histoire de familles. Une comparaison Québec-France, edited by Bonvalet, C., Olazabal, I., and Oris, M. Presses Universitaires du Québec, 145–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Bogaard, L., Henkens, K., and Kalmijn, M. 2014. “So Now What? Effects of Retirement on Civic Engagement.” Ageing & Society 34 (7): 1170–1192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wall, K., Aboim, S., and Cunha, V. 2001. “Families and Informal Support Networks in Portugal: The Reproduction of Inequality.” Journal of European Social Policy 11 (3): 213–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Willetts, D. (2010). The Pinch: How the Baby Boomers Took Their Children’s Future-and Why They Should Give It Back. London: Atlantic Books Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaidi, B., and Philip Morgan, S. 2017. “The Second Demographic Transition Theory: A Review and Appraisal.” Annual Review of Sociology 43: 473–492.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Z., and Hayward, M. D. 2001. “Childlessness and the Psychological Well-being of Older Persons.” Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences 56B (5): S311–S320.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut national d’études démographiques, Aubervilliers Cedex, France

    Catherine Bonvalet

  2. Unité de recherche sur le vieillissement, Paris, France

    Rémi Gallou & Jim Ogg

Authors
  1. Catherine Bonvalet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rémi Gallou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jim Ogg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jim Ogg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland

    Anna-Maija Castrén

  2. Faculty of Human and Social Studies, Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, Lithuania

    Vida Česnuitytė

  3. Department of Education, Cultural Heritage and Tourism, University of Macerata, Macerata, Italy

    Isabella Crespi

  4. University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Jacques-Antoine Gauthier

  5. Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Rita Gouveia

  6. EHESP, CNRS (National Centre of Scientific Research), Rennes, France

    Claude Martin

  7. Campus María Zambrano, University of Valladolid, Segovia, Spain

    Almudena Moreno Mínguez

  8. Institute of Sociology, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland

    Katarzyna Suwada

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Bonvalet, C., Gallou, R., Ogg, J. (2021). Transitions in Later Life and the Re-configuration of Family Relationships in the Third Age: The Case of the Baby Boomers. In: Castrén, AM., et al. The Palgrave Handbook of Family Sociology in Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73306-3_30

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73306-3_30

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-73305-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-73306-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation