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Intergenerational Relations in a Society in Transition: A South African Case Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2008

Valerie Møller
Valerie Møller
Affiliation:
Centre for Social and Development Studies, University of Natal, King George V Avenue, Durban 4001, South Africa.
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Abstract

In South Africa the generation gap is seen as the problem of disaffected youth. This paper discusses intergenerational relations from the perspective of the elderly whose social security and happiness in old age is dependent on the mutual family support system. Family solidarity in 300 three-generation urban households was assessed using measures based on ones developed by Mangen, Bengtson, and Landry (1988) and a single item measuring satisfication with family life used in earlier South African quality-of-life studies. Results confirmed that harmonious family living was associated with the subjective well-being of elders. The South African measure of family harmony was most closly related to the affective dimension of the Mangen et al. (1988) family solidarity construct. Good affective and consensual relationships between the middle and top generations made the most significant contributions to satisfactory family life from the viewpoint of elders. Contrary to expectations there was little evidence of strained relationships between the oldest and youngest generation. Findings intimated that the middle generation plays an important role in closing the generation gap in the more cohesive families by promoting mutual respect and understanding between old and young. Although three-generation households may, by definition, represent special cases of family solidarity during the current unrest in South African townships, it is concluded that the findings augur well for family care of the aged.

Keywords

Intergenerational relationsfamily solidaritysubjective well-beingSouth African elderly
Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , June 1994 , pp. 155 - 189
Copyright
Copyright Cambridge University Press 1994

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