Skip to main content
Log in

European contrasts in sex ratios: Implications for living arrangements in old age

Contrastes dans les rapports de masculinité européens: Implications pour l'aménagement de la vie des personnes âgées

  • Articles
  • Published:
European Journal of Population / Revue européenne de Démographie Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper explores some consequences of two facts. First, the difference between contemporary male and female mortality schedules varies from one nation to another. Second, historical events can produce significant deviations in these smooth patterns. After an analysis of the demographic situation of older people in Europe, a comprehensive view of the policy implications of these demographic constraints is given.

Résume

Cet article explore certaines conséquences de deux observations. La première est liée au fait que les tables de mortalité masculines et féminines contemporaines varient d'un pays à l'autre. La seconde est liée au fait que des événements historiques peuvent introduire des déviations significatives dans des tables sans accidents. Après une analyse de la situation démographique des personnes âgées en Europe, il donne une vue des implications politiques de ces contraintes démographiques.

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

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1986, Aging society, Daedalus 115(1) (entire issue).

  • Bachrach, C., 1980, Childlessness and social isolation among the elderly, Journal of Marriage and the Family 42, 343–348

    Google Scholar 

  • Beresford, J. and A. Rivlin, 1966, Privacy, poverty and old age, Demography 3(3), 247–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blau, Z., 1985, Current perspectives on aging and the life course (JAI Press, Greenwich, CT).

    Google Scholar 

  • Bongaarts, J. and T. Burch and K. Wachter 1987, Family demography: Methods and their application, IUSSP Series (Oxford University Press, Oxford).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cain, L., 1982, Population aging and family life, in: G. Gutmat, ed., Canada's changing age structure: Implications for the future (Simon Fraser University Publications, Burnaby).

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlsson, G. and K. Karlsson, 1970, Age, cohorts, and the generation of generations, American Sociological Review 35, 710–718.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chevan, A. and J. Korson, 1972, The widowed who live alone: An examination of social and demographic factors, Social Forces 51, 45–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiang, C.L., 1984, The life table and its applications (Krieger, Malabar, FL).

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, K. and P. van den Oever, 1982, Demographic foundations of new sex roles, Population and Development Review 8(3), 495–511.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, R., 1971, Explaining cross-cultural variations in age at marriage and proportions never marrying, Population Studies 25(2), 215–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Espenshade, T. and R. Braun, 1983, Economic aspects of an aging population and the material well-being of older persons, in: M. Riley, B. Hess and K. Bond, eds., Aging in society: Selected reviews of recent research (Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ) 25–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eversley, D., 1982, Some new aspects of aging in Britain, in: T. Hareven and K. Adams, eds., Aging and life course transitions: An interdisciplinary perspective (Guilford, New York) 245–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Featherman, D., 1986, Biography, society, and history: Individual development as a population process, in: A. Sorensen, F. Weinert and L. Sherrod eds., Human development and the life course (Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ) 99–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro, K., 1985, The effect of widowhood on the health status of older persons, Aging and Human Development 21(1), 9–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fogel, R., E. Hatfield, S. Kiesler and E. Shanas, eds., 1981, Aging: Stability and change in the family (Academic Press, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Foner, A., 1974, Age stratification and age conflict in political life, American Sociological Review 39, 187–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garms-Homolova, V., E. Hoerning and D. Schaeffer, 1984, Intergenerational relationships (Hogrefe, Toronto).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, M., 1984, Family support patterns, policies and programs, in: C. Nusberg, ed., Innovative aging programs abroad (Greenwood Press, Westport, CT) 159–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Girard, A., 1986, La population française vieillit, Etudes 365(3), 199–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glass, D. and D. Eversley, eds., 1965, Population in history (Edward Arnold, London).

    Google Scholar 

  • Glick, P., 1979, The future marital status and living arrangements of the elderly, Gerontologist 19(3), 301–309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldman, N., 1984, Changes in widowhood and divorce and expected durations of marriage, Demography 21, 297–307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, L., N. Keyfitz and T. Pullum, 1974, Family formation and the frequency of various kinship relationships, Theoretical Population Biology 5, 1–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutentag, M. and P. Secord, 1983, Too many women? The sex ratio question (Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, CA).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hajnal, J., 1965, European marriage patterns in perspective, in: D. Glass and D. Eversley, eds., Population in history (Edward Arnold, London) 101–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hammel, E., K. Wachter and C. McDaniel, 1981, The kin of the aged in AD 2000: The chickens come home to roost, in: S. Kiesler, J. Morgan and V.K. Oppenheimer, Aging: Social change (Academic Press, New York) 11–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hareven, T. and K. Adams, 1982, Aging and life course transitions: An interdisciplinary perspective (Guilford, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Heer, D. and A. Grossbard-Shechtman, 1981, The impact of the female marriage squeeze and the contraceptive revolution on sex roles and the women's liberation movement in the U.S., Journal of Marriage and the Family 43, 49–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heumann, L., 1980, Sheltered housing for the elderly: The role of the British warden, Gerontologist 20(3), 318–330.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiesler, S., J. Morgan and V.K. Oppenheimer, 1981, Aging: Social change (Academic Press, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobrin, F., 1976, The fall of household size and the rise of the primary individual in the United States, Demography 13(2), 127–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobrin, F., 1981, Family extension and the elderly: Economic, demographic and family cycle factors, Journal of Gerontology 36(3) 370–377.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobrin, F. and G. Hendershot, 1977, Do family ties reduce mortality? Evidence from the U.S. 1966–1968, Journal of Marriage and the Family 39, 737–745.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mackensen, R., 1984, Changes in demographic potential and intergenerational relationships, in: V. Garms-Homolova, E. Hoerning and D. Schaeffer (eds). Intergenerational relationship (Hogrefe, Toronto) 53–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mannheim, K., 1928, Das Problem der Generationen, Kölner Vierteljahreshefte für Soziologie 7(2), 157–185 & 7(3), 309–330.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manton, K., 1982, Changing concepts of morbidity and mortality in the elderly population, Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly 60, 183–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manton, K. and E. Stallard, 1984, Recent trends in mortality analysis (Academic Press, Orlando, FL).

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, K. and W. Mueller, 1986, The state and the structure of the life course, in: A. Sorensen, F. Weinert and L. Sherrod, eds., Human development and the life course: Multidisciplinary perspectives (Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ) 217–245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, J. and V. Oppenheimer, eds., 1986, Aging: Social change (Academic Press, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Myles, J., 1984, Old age in the welfare state: The political economy of public pensions (Little, Brown, Boston, MA).

    Google Scholar 

  • Newcomer, R., M. Lawton and T. Byerts, eds., 1986, Housing an aging society (Hutchinson & Ross, Boston, MA).

    Google Scholar 

  • Noin, D., 1987, La population très âgée en France, Espace, Populations, Sociétés 10(1), 29–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Notestein, F., 1954, Some demographic aspects of aging, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 98(1), 38–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nusberg, C., ed., 1984, Innovative aging programs abroad (Greenwood Press, Westport, CT).

    Google Scholar 

  • Peace, Shiela, 1981, Small group housing in the community, II: Variations in sheltered housing, Aging International 8(2) (entire issue).

  • Preston, S. and A. Coale, 1982, Age structure, growth, attrition and accession: A new synthesis, Population Index 48(2), 217–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rempel, J., 1985, Childless elderly: What are they missing? Journal of Marriage and the Family 47(2) 343–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riley, M., ed., 1979, Aging from birth to death: Interdisciplinary perspectives (Westview Press, Boulder, CO).

    Google Scholar 

  • Riley, M., 1984, Women, men and the lengthening life course, in: A. Rossi, ed., Gender and the life course.

  • Riley, M., 1986, Overview and highlights of a sociological perspective, in: A. Sorensen, F. Weinert and L. Sherrod, eds., Human development and the life course (Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ) 153–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riley, M., 1987, On the significance of age in sociology, American Sociological Review 52(1), 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riley, M. and J. Riley, 1986, Longevity and social structure: The added years, Daedalus 115(1), 51–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riley, M., B. Hess and K. Bond, eds., 1983, Aging in society: Selected reviews of recent research (Erlbaum, Hillsdale NJ).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossi, A., 1986, Sex and gender in an aging society, Daedalus 115(1), 141–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryder, N., 1965, The cohort as a concept in the study of social change, American Sociological Review 30, 843–861.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryder, N., 1987, Reconsideration of model of family demography, in: J. Bongaarts, T. Burch and K. Wachter, eds., Family demography: Methods and their application (Oxford University Press, Oxford) 102–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoen, R., 1983, Measuring the tightness of a marriage squeeze, Demography 20(1), 61–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shanas, E. and M. Sussman, eds., 1977, Family, bureaucracy and the elderly (Duke University Press, Durham).

    Google Scholar 

  • Shanas, E. and M. Sussman, 1981, The family in later life: Social structure and social policy, in: R. Fogel, E. Hatfield, S. Kiesler and E. Shanas, eds., Aging: Stability and change in the family (Academic Press, New York) 211–231.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, J. and S. Hoover, 1982, Demographic aspects of the elderly to the year 2000 and beyond, World Health Statistics Quarterly 35(3–4), 132–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, J. and C. Taeuber, 1986, Demographic perspectives on the long-lived society, Daedalus 115(1), 77–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, D., 1981, Historical change in the household structure of the elderly in developed countries, in: R. Fogel, E. Hatfield, S. Kiesler and E. Shanas, eds., Aging: Stability and change in the family (Academic Press, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Soldo, B., 1980, America's elderly in the 1980s, Population Bulletin 35(4), 1–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soldo, B. and P. Lauriat, 1976, Living arrangements among the elderly in the United States: A loglinear approach, Journal of Comparative Family Studies 7, 351–366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorensen, A., 1986, Social structure and mechanisms of life course processes, in: A. Sorensen, F. Weinert and L. Sherrod, eds., Human development and the life course: Multidisciplinary Perspectives (Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ).

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorensen, A., F. Weinert and L. Sherrod, eds., 1986, Human development and the life course: Multidisciplinary perspectives (Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ).

    Google Scholar 

  • South, S. and K. Trent, 1988, Sex ratios and women's roles: A cross-national analysis, American Journal of Sociology 93(5), 1096–1116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Treas, J., 1977, Family support systems for the aged: Some social and demographical considerations, Gerontologist 17(6), 486–491.

    Google Scholar 

  • Treat, J., 1981, The great American fertility debate: Generational balance and support of the aged, Gerontologist 21(2), 98–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Treas, J. and A. van Hilst, 1976, Marriage and remarriage rates among older Americans, Gerontologist 16, 132–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uhlenberg, P., 1979, Demogrpahic change and the problems of the aged, in: M. Riley, ed., Aging from birth to death: Interdisciplinary perspectives. (Westview Press, Boulder, CO) 153–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1976, Demographic aspects of aging and the older population of the United States. Current Population Reports, Series P-23, Number 59 (U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC).

    Google Scholar 

  • Valkonen, T. and T. Nikander, 1987, Demographic changes in the aged populations of four Nordic countries, Yearbook of Population Research in Finland 25, 9–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vaupel, J., 1988, Inherited frailty and longevity, Demography 25(2), 277–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verbrugge, L., 1983, Women and men: Mortality and health of older people, in: M. Riley, B. Hess and K. Bond, eds., Aging in society: Selected reviews of recent research (Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ) 139–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waring, J., 1975, Social replenishment and social change: The problem of disordered cohort flow, American Behavioral Scientist 19, 237–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, S., J. Menken and J. Bongaarts, 1987, Demographic foundations of family change, American Sociological Review 52(3), 346–358.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wister, A. and T. Burch, 1983, Fertility and household status of older women in Canada, 1971, Canadian Studies in Population 10(1), 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, D., 1983, Kinship and living arrangements of older Americans, Urban Institute Report to NICHD.

  • Wolf, D., 1984, Kin availability and the living arrangements of older women, Social Science Research 13, 88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, D. and B. Soldo, 1988, Household composition choices of older unmarried women, Demography 25(3), 387–404.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Carlson, E. European contrasts in sex ratios: Implications for living arrangements in old age. Eur J Population 6, 117–141 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01797114

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01797114

Keywords

Navigation