Gender and social class dynamics in intergenerational financial transfers among older adults: national trends over two decades in Sweden.

Despite the universal social policies of Sweden's welfare state, recent decades have seen decreasing public benefits and increasing socio-economic disparities, affecting the financial wellbeing of older adults and their younger family members. This repeated cross-sectional study explores the develop...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Ageing & Society Vol. 45; no. 10; pp. 2116 - 2141
Autores principales: von Saenger, Isabelle, Dahlberg, Lena, Silverstein, Merril, Fritzell, Johan, Lennartsson, Carin
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Cambridge University Press Oct2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=189178148&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 189178148
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        0144686X
        AGS
      jtl: Ageing & Society
      issn: 0144686X
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Oct2025
      vid: 45
      iid: 10
      pid: 15979
      pub: Cambridge University Press
    artinfo:
      ui:
        189178148
        10.1017/S0144686X24000825
      ppf: 2116
      ppct: 25
      formats:
      tig:
        atl: Gender and social class dynamics in intergenerational financial transfers among older adults: national trends over two decades in Sweden.
      aug:
        au:
          von Saenger, Isabelle
          Dahlberg, Lena
          Silverstein, Merril
          Fritzell, Johan
          Lennartsson, Carin
        affil:
          Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Solna, Sweden
          School of Health and Welfare, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden
          Department of Sociology, Department of Human Development and Family Science, Aging Studies Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
          Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
      su:
        Sweden
        Cross-sectional method
        Sex distribution
        Interviewing
        Socioeconomic factors
        Family support
        Social classes
        Intergenerational relations
        Old age
        Research funding
        Questionnaires
        Logistic regression analysis
        Descriptive statistics
        Financial management
        Confidence intervals
        Data analysis software
      sug:
        subj:
          Cross-sectional method
          Sex distribution
          Interviewing
          Socioeconomic factors
          Family support
          Social classes
          Intergenerational relations
          Old age
          Sweden
          Portfolio Management
          Research funding
          Questionnaires
          Logistic regression analysis
          Descriptive statistics
          Financial management
          Confidence intervals
          Data analysis software
      keyword:
        gender
        grandchildren
        intergenerational financial support
        older parents
        social class
        gender
        grandchildren
        intergenerational financial support
        older parents
        social class
      ab: Despite the universal social policies of Sweden's welfare state, recent decades have seen decreasing public benefits and increasing socio-economic disparities, affecting the financial wellbeing of older adults and their younger family members. This repeated cross-sectional study explores the development of intergenerational financial transfers in Sweden over the past two decades, examining transfers involving older parents and their children and grandchildren, and patterns related to gender and social class. It utilises data from the Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old, from 2002 to 2021, along with descriptive statistics and logistic regression models, to study shifts in donor–receiver proportions and gender/social-class disparities. The findings revealed that approximately one in four parents provided financial support to younger generations, while very few received such support. Downward financial transfers increased over time, with growing focus on grandchildren. No significant gender differences in providing were identified; however, women's contributions increased in frequency and amount, compared to previous cohorts of women. Men's contributions remained relatively stable over time. Parents in higher social classes were more inclined to provide financial support than parents in lower classes; this difference grew over time. Additionally, parents in higher social classes more frequently provided higher amounts than their counterparts. In conclusion, this study underscores changing gender and social-class patterns in financial contributions made by parents to their children and grandchildren in contemporary Sweden. Understanding these levels and subgroup differences is crucial for shaping policies and mitigating the potential growth of socio-economic inequality in future generations.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N