Elderly with and without Children: Do They Report Different Health Conditions?

The world is aging rather rapidly. As both the proportion of older people and the length of life increase throughout the world, key questions arise. Will population aging be accompanied by a longer period of good health, a sustained sense of well-being, and extended periods of social productivity, or are associated with more illness, disability, and dependency? And which is the relationship between childlessness and health, in a world where fertility does decline? We intend to study the relationship between childlessness and perceived health for elderly in four European countries: France, The Netherlands, Poland and Italy. While Italy is a familistic society, the other three countries present few inter-generational exchanges and an early exit of children from the parental home. We have chosen to analyse these countries, which are characterised by different culture and welfare systems, to understand if the context is important to determine the relationship.