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Change and Stability in Parent–Child Contact in Five Western Countries

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  • Matthijs Kalmijn

    (Tilburg University)

  • Jannes Vries

    (Statistics Netherlands)

Abstract

Although much is known about changes in the conjugal family, little is known about trends in contact between parents and adult (independently living) children. Using unique survey data, we study changes in contact with the mother and the father in five western countries over a 15-year period (Austria, West Germany, Great Britain, the United States, and Italy). We describe changes and we examine the role of compositional changes in the trend. We find no evidence for a decline in intergenerational contact, in contrast to notions of individualism. In two countries, there has been an increase in contact with the mother and in three countries no net trend is observed. Contact with the father has not changed. Other forms of contact (e.g., telephone contact) have increased. Some compositional changes have had a downward pressure on the trend, leading to a decline in contact (i.e., rising education, declining church attendance), but these pressures have been compensated by counteracting compositional changes (declining sibsize) and by behavioral changes.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthijs Kalmijn & Jannes Vries, 2009. "Change and Stability in Parent–Child Contact in Five Western Countries," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 25(3), pages 257-276, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eurpop:v:25:y:2009:i:3:d:10.1007_s10680-008-9176-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s10680-008-9176-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Börsch-Supan, Axel & Hank, Karsten & Jürges, Hendrik, 2005. "New Comprehensive and International View on Ageing: The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe," MEA discussion paper series 05075, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pasqualini, Marta & di Gessa, Giorgio & Tomassini, Cecilia, 2021. "A Change is (not) Gonna Come: A twenty-year overview of Italian grandparents-grandchildren exchanges," SocArXiv 8wgux, Center for Open Science.

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