Family practices in later life / Pat Chambers ... [and others].

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Chambers, Pat, 1950-

Series:

Ageing and the lifecourse

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Intergenerational relations--Great Britain.

Intergenerational relations.

Older people--Great Britain--Social conditions.

Older people.

Great Britain.

Social conditions.

Families--Great Britain.

Families.

Physical Description:

xii, 124 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Bristol : Policy, 2009.

Summary:

There is no shortage of political and moral commentary on family life. Frequently the underlying theme of these commentaries is the decline of contemporary family commitment, particularly when older people's family experiences are the focus.

Family Practices in Later Life challenges many common stereotypes about the nature of family involvement as people age. The book explores diversity and change in the family relationships older people maintain, looking at how family relationships are constructed and organized in later life. It recognises that the emerging patterns are a consequence of the choices and decisions negotiated within family networks, emphasising older people's agency in the construction of their family practices. In exploring such themes as long-term marriage, sibling ties in later life and grandparenthood, the book highlights the continued significance of family connection and solidarity in later life, while recognizing that family relationships are inevitably modified over time as people's social and material circumstances alter.

Family Practices in Later Life will be of interest to students, researchers and academics in the fields of social policy, family studies and social gerontology. It provides a valuable contribution to the developing field of critical social gerontology as well as to an understanding of family process.

Contents:

1 Family practices and family relationships 1

2 Families in later life 15

3 Older parents and their adult children 27

4 Long-lasting relationships 39

5 Brothers and sisters 51

6 Grandparenting 63

7 Later life widow(er)hood 75

8 Globalisation and transnational communities: implications for family life in old age 87

9 Changing times: older people and family ties 99.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781847420534

1847420532

1847420524

9781847420527

OCLC:

271774507