• Corpus ID: 51901132

Social Support and Social Networks Among the Elderly in Mexico : Updating the Discussion on Reciprocity

@inproceedings{Villegas2013SocialSA,
  title={Social Support and Social Networks Among the Elderly in Mexico : Updating the Discussion on Reciprocity},
  author={Sagrario Garay Villegas and Ver{\'o}nica Zavala and Jennifer Cassandra Guillen},
  year={2013}
}

• Sagrario Garay Villegas, V. Zavala, J. Guillen
• Published 2013
• Economics

The aging process in Mexico continues to transform household dynamics, in particular the intergenerational exchange of support and reciprocity. The aim of this article is to update the discussion and analysis on the exchanges between the elderly and their family members in Mexico. Therefore, we use the 2005 Encuesta Nacional de la Dinámica Familiar (ENDIFAM; National Family Dynamics Survey) in order to distinguish between supports granted and received among the elderly population. Additionally, we examine variables that measure solidarity among family members when facing difficult situations, crises, and everyday difficulties. Thus, we analyze factors that condition the granting and receiving of support among the elderly. Results show that the elderly population is active in an intergenerational family network that receives and offers social support as a means of maintaining their quality of life. Among the conditioning elements of intergenerational solidarity, we find that as age increases, the elderly are less likely to grant support. Moreover, results show that women are more likely to receive social support; and, being married or in a civil union increases the likelihood of counting on a more extensive support network. Unexpectedly, we found that the granting of support in difficult situations occurs in a unidirectional manner. That is, the elderly tend to provide support to others during difficult situations, but are less likely to receive support when facing similar circumstances.