Sharing and Caring: Older Europeans’ Living Arrangements

Abstract

This paper uses data from the European Community Household Panel to chart the living and caring arrangements of older men and women in 14 European countries. There are wide variations between men and women; large variations with age; and notable differences between countries. Older people in 'Southern' European countries are much more likely to live with their children, either with or without a partner, than those in 'Northern' European countries, who tend to live with just a partner, or to live alone. Older people in the Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands are the most likely to live alone; in these countries living with adult children is a rarity for older people. The paper also describes patterns of intra-household care where older people co-reside with their adult children. Older people who live with their children are more likely to receive care in the Southern than in Northern European countries, and the proportion receiving care increases with age. Among women, the giving of care is to a large extent reciprocal, with child care being provided within the household by the 'younger old', to almost the same extent as care is provided by other family members to the 'older old'. However, this reciprocity does not hold for men: older men living with their children provide very little child care, although they receive as much care as older women.