The Benefits of Family Ties in Survival in Different Welfare Systems in Europe

Pilar Zueras , Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics (CED), Universitat de Barcelona
Sergi Trias-Llimós, University of Groningen

Survival in adult and old ages is strongly associated with social relationships and support. The partner and children play a crucial role in this association. The benefits of being married and being a parent on mortality are well known and persist after controlling for socioeconomic factors and measured health. Most research has concentrated on national portrayals about the effects of family and social support on survival. The goal of this study is to examine the association between family composition and mortality risks among old men and women in 11 European countries. In specific, we aim at exploring potential diverging patterns of the benefits of family settings on mortality between men and women and across different family and welfare systems in Europe. To do so, we analyze information from the last three available waves (4, 5 and 6) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

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 Presented in Session 223. Flash Session: Families and Health