Modernisation and ageing theory revisited: current explanations of recent developing world and historical Western shifts in material family support for older people

Abstract

Modernisation and ageing theory has provided the main platform for the debate on changes in family support for older people in both the industrialised and the developing worlds. Although its well-known proposition of an 'abandonment ' of older people in individualistic society has received much attention and been solidly refuted, the modernisation model continues to be the principal and most common framework for explaining the decline in familial material support for older people -both historically in the West, or at present in developing countries. The main rival explanation is provided by materialist accounts. The ability of these explanations to provide a meaningful understanding of why material family support may diminish has however received little if any analytical attention, despite its vital policy relevance, especially for the developing world. This paper critically examines the content and basis of both explanatory models. For each it exposes fundamental conceptual and epistemological limitations that render neither able to provide a solid understanding of the nature and causes of decline in support. Building on this analysis, the paper proposes a new approach in order to develop a fuller conceptual and empirical understanding.

Examining Supportive Evidence for Psychosocial Theories of Aging within the Oral History Narratives of Centenarians

“…For example, the usefulness of older adults eroded with the shift from an agricultural to a more industrial society [39]. The theory has been used to understand negative attitudes toward aging [41], as well as family relationships [42] and family caregiving dynamics [43]. Achenbaum and Sterns [44] note there needs to be more agreement regarding when modernization first began as well as classifying stages within modernization.…”

Coresidence With Elderly Parents in Contemporary China: The Role of Filial Piety, Reciprocity, Socioeconomic Resources, and Parental Needs

“…Industrialization and modernization have led to a decline in the importance of the family as a production unit, causing an increase in paid work outside the family network and a concomitant increase in preference for independent living arrangements (Aboderin, 2004;Logan & Brian, 1999). The modernization perspective suggests that adult children with higher levels of education and economic resources will be more likely to realize their preference for independent living than their counterparts.…”

Changes in Contact and Support Within Intergenerational Relationships in the Netherlands: a Cohort and Time-Sequential Perspective

“…Silverstein and colleagues explained this by assuming that the situations of both countries are similar and that the social and economical process of modernization in Wales could be compared to that of the United States. However, Aboderin (2004) casts doubt on the underlying assumption of uniform societal development, which predicts the same ''breakdown'' of family support within different countries and within different periods of time. She also questions whether the process is taking place in the same manner in different countries.…”

“…Parents and children have frequent contact and continue to engage in mutually supportive patterns of exchange (Mancini & Blieszner, 1989). Despite this evidence, the notion of a ''breakdown'' of family support persists in both popular and professional perceptions (Aboderin, 2004).…”

“…Moreover, the impact of industrialization and modernization seems to have eroded the families' traditional functions (Burgess, 1916), shifting responsibility from the family to a public solidarity system. The notion that in the past, parents were supported more by their offspring is based on the assumption that the disintegration of the family is an artifact of modernization (Aboderin, 2004;Hareven, 1995;Shanas, 1979). However, in the past century, research on intergenerational relationships beyond the nuclear household has indicated the continuation of family bonds (Troll, 1971).…”