Ageing Close or Far from the Family

This article offers a typology of family configurations in old age. This typology allows to consider the plurality of family organisations, that are sometimes analysed independently in the literature. It is based on an analysis of 119 biographical interviews, carried out in 2022 with elderly people...

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Dettagli Bibliografici
Autori principali: Pinel, Jordan, Leroy, Emma, Gallou, Rémi, Aouici, Sabrina, Bonvalet, Catherine
Natura: Article ou chapitre numérique
Lingua:Français
Pubblicazione: 2026
Soggetti:
Accesso online:Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM
Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM
Descrizione
Riassunto:This article offers a typology of family configurations in old age. This typology allows to consider the plurality of family organisations, that are sometimes analysed independently in the literature. It is based on an analysis of 119 biographical interviews, carried out in 2022 with elderly people born between 1935 and 1959 and living in France. The results show that while the close family circle (strong affinity and mutual support relations and geographical proximity) remains the most common family model, extreme cases such as cohabitation or isolation are not insignificant. These identified family models are not static and evolve according to family events. In particular, retirement appears to be an important stage in shaping relationships with close relatives. As people get older, remote “family-making” can become a challenge.