Family networks are key to understanding the well‐being of older adults because kin provide instrumental and financial support, help manage health and disability, and encourage social integration. Two momentous societal changes have shaped the families of contemporary older adults: the first and second demographic transitions and global educational expansion. The intersection of these two processes raises questions about how older adults are faring in terms of their kin availability. This paper examines the socioeconomic bifurcation of adults in midlife and beyond in terms of the existence of descendants and other kin. Disparities in kin availability may vary across socioeconomic status and contexts, and so we examine this phenomenon worldwide, analyzing data on two thirds of the world's population of adults aged 50 and above. Our results highlight different kin structures by socioeconomic status. High socioeconomic status adults have fewer descendants but a higher likelihood of having at least one child with tertiary education, a partner, and living parents. Low socioeconomic status older adults have larger families with more younger kin. Our results shed new light on potential mismatches between the contemporary family networks of older adults and longstanding social norms and assumptions about caregiving, family, and health policies.

中文翻译：

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全球教育扩张背景下的老年人后代和家庭网络


家庭网络是了解老年人福祉的关键，因为亲属提供工具和经济支持，帮助管理健康和残疾，并鼓励社会融合。两个重大的社会变化塑造了当代老年人的家庭：第一和第二人口转变以及全球教育扩张。这两个过程的交集引发了关于老年人在亲属可用性方面的表现如何的问题。本文研究了中年及以后成年人在后代和其他亲属的存在方面的社会经济分化。亲属可用性的差异可能因社会经济地位和背景而异，因此我们在全球范围内研究了这一现象，分析了世界上三分之二的 50 岁及以上成年人口的数据。我们的结果按社会经济地位突出了不同的亲属结构。社会经济地位高的成年人的后代较少，但至少有一个受过高等教育的孩子、伴侣和健在的父母的可能性更高。社会经济地位低的老年人拥有更大的家庭和更多的年轻亲属。我们的研究结果为当代老年人家庭网络与长期存在的社会规范和关于护理、家庭和健康政策的假设之间的潜在不匹配提供了新的视角。