Non-kin ties as a source of support in Europe: understanding the role of cultural context

Abstract

The 'crowding-out' and the 'decline of the family' hypotheses are the fundamental theoretical notions underlying the literature on cross-country differences in informal support. In this study, we expand upon these notions to develop and test the premise that cultural context shapes European's views about an often overlooked source of support: non-kin. We carefully conceptualise cultural context as individualistic values and familialistic norms. Employing multilevel multinomial models and European Quality of Life Survey data from 27 countries, we confirm the importance of decomposing the broader notion of culture by demonstrating that contexts with both less pronounced individualistic values and less pronounced familialistic norms are conducive to non-kin rather than kin or professional help. Moreover, unlike prior work, which suggested the existence of a north/west-south/east divide in support patterns, our findings show nuanced cross-national differences in the importance of non-kin ties as a source of advice and help when looking for a job. We find some of the highest levels of non-kin reliance in countries in southern and eastern Europe, and in northern and western Europe more generally. We conclude by proposing ways in which future research can advance our understanding of the role of context in shaping support patterns.

Is Living Alone “Aging Alone”? Solitary Living, Network Types, and Well-Being

“…Thus our results suggest that not only individual characteristics but also country-level factors shape the opportunities for individuals to create and sustain social networks. For example, “restricted” and “child-based” networks were found in contexts that not only have higher old-age poverty (Megyeri, 2016), but also have higher levels of familialism (Kalmijn & Saraceno, 2008) and lack of generalized trust (Conkova et al, 2018; Letki, 2018). Respondents with high probabilities to have “restricted” and “child-based” networks were more common in Eastern and Southern European countries.…”

“…Societies with higher levels of economic development tend to have higher levels of individualism (Inglehart, 1997), which are conducive to engaging in social ties outside the immediate family (Conkova, Fokkema, & Dykstra, 2018). Given that the gross domestic product per capita is higher in Northern and Western European countries than in Southern and Eastern European countries (Eurostat, 2017), we expect a higher likelihood of “diverse” and “friend-focused” networks in the first set of countries than in the second set.…”

Group structure and kinship in beluga whale societies

“…From these perspectives, beluga communities have similarities to human societies where social networks, support structures, cooperation and cultures involve interactions between kin and non-kin 76 , 77 . An analysis of human societies may also be instructive in understanding menopause in beluga whales.…”

“…Similar arguments may apply to the evolution of social structure in other cetacean species that form fission-fusion societies and/or are non-matrilineal and where groups comprise both kin and non-kin including bottlenose dolphins 30 , northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) 74 and possibly Baird's beaked whale (Berardius bairdii) 75 . www.nature.com/scientificreports/ From these perspectives, beluga communities have similarities to human societies where social networks, support structures, cooperation and cultures involve interactions between kin and non-kin 76,77 . An analysis of human societies may also be instructive in understanding menopause in beluga whales.…”

Prevalence of activities in later life across European regions

“…This paper considers the support of the same activities and expectation of the same outcomes regardless of macro-and micro factors as highly problematic. Many authors showed that the availability of these activities, their outcomes, and their meaning for older people differ substantially (Conkova, Fokkema, & Dykstra, 2017;Hank, 2011;Lakomý, 2019;Timonen, 2016;Walker, 2009). These differences can be explained by many factors structured in several theories.…”