Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Sociology

Western University

2017

Demography

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Projections Of White And Black Older Adults Without Living Kin In The United States, 2015-2060, Ashton Verdery, Rachel Margolis Oct 2017

Projections Of White And Black Older Adults Without Living Kin In The United States, 2015-2060, Ashton Verdery, Rachel Margolis

Sociology Publications

Close kin provide many important functions as adults age, affecting health, financial well-being, and happiness. Those without kin report higher rates of loneliness and experience elevated risks of chronic illness and nursing facility placement. Historical racial differences and recent shifts in core demographic rates suggest that white and black older adults in the United States may have unequal availability of close kin and that this gap in availability will widen in the coming decades. Whereas prior work explores the changing composition and size of the childless population or those without spouses, here we consider the kinless population of older adults …


Older Adults Without Close Kin In The United States, Rachel Margolis, Ashton Verdery Jun 2017

Older Adults Without Close Kin In The United States, Rachel Margolis, Ashton Verdery

Sociology Publications

Objectives: We document the size and characteristics of the population of older adults without close kin in the contemporary United States.

Methods: Using the Health and Retirement Study, we examine the prevalence of lacking different types and combinations of living kin, examine how kinless-ness is changing across birth cohorts, and provide estimates of kinless-ness for sociodemographic and health groups.

Results: In 1998–2010, 6.6% of U.S. adults aged 55 and above lacked a living spouse and biological children and 1% lacked a partner/spouse, any children, biological siblings, and biological parents. Kinless-ness, defined both ways, is becoming more common among adults in …