Elderly Fathers in Russia after Divorce: Gender Differences in the Intergenerational Transfers

Abstract

Regarding the aging population, the question of care and financial support of the elderly becomes increasingly relevant. At the same time, the rise of divorce and separation becomes a very strong trend in modern society. Due to absence of joint custody in Russia, connection between fathers and children weakens after divorce and in this context the research question is: Do children help their elderly fathers after divorce, and what is the gender specificity in upward transfers after divorce? The object of this study is to examine the transfers that elderly Russian men and women get from their children. This research is based on data from the “Comprehensive Monitoring of Living Conditions of the Population” conducted in Russia in 2014. The target sample consisted of 113 000 persons over 15 years old—37 787 of which were over retirement age. The survey covered all regions of the Russian Federation. The method used in this analysis is mainly descriptive statistics and correlation tables. According to the results there is a considerable gap between elderly men and women in getting help from their children due to weakened connections between children and their fathers after divorce. This problem can be solved with the development of institutions of social protection, but unfortunately this sphere in Russia has not yet been sufficiently developed.

Does Divorce Penalize Elderly Fathers in Receiving Help from Their Children? Evidence from Russia

“…The common effects hypothesis predicts a further weakening of ties between divorced fathers and children since, in most cases, children reside with their mothers after divorce (Kalmijn 2012;Tretyakova 2018). Although fathers usually continue to be involved in their children's lives, these engagements are weaker.…”

“…In light of Russian law practice on child residence after divorce, this point is especially salient. As the vast majority of children reside with their mothers after divorce (Khazova 2005;Tretyakova 2018), this leads to the weakening of father-child relationships. Due to the diminished return of intergenerational transfers after divorce, if a child experiences a decline in the father's involvement, this results in less frequent support and contact in later-life (Silverstein et al 2002;Tretyakova 2018).…”

“…As the vast majority of children reside with their mothers after divorce (Khazova 2005;Tretyakova 2018), this leads to the weakening of father-child relationships. Due to the diminished return of intergenerational transfers after divorce, if a child experiences a decline in the father's involvement, this results in less frequent support and contact in later-life (Silverstein et al 2002;Tretyakova 2018). Several studies with regard to intergenerational contact indicate that both the quality and the extent of contact after divorce diminishes, especially for fathers (Kaufman and Uhlenberg 1998;Silverstein and Bengtson 1997;Tomassini et al 2004).…”

“…It is used to denote residence of the child, but has no legal meaning. Although there are no preferential rights for mothers concerning child residence, the court's belief that mothers are better suited to look after children results in up to 90% of children staying with their mothers (Khazova 2005;Tretyakova 2018). This implies that children tend to have stronger ties with their mothers than their fathers after divorce.…”