Interdisziplinäre Ansätze in der Gerontologie: Entwicklungen in der Schweiz

Zusammenfassung: Trotz früher Verankerung einer professionellen Altersarbeit erfolgte eine institutionelle Verankerung gerontologischer Forschung und Lehre in der Schweiz sehr spät, namentlich in der deutschsprachigen Schweiz. Ein Ausbau der Altersforschung erfolgte erst in den 1990er Jahren, und noch später kam es zur Einrichtung universitärer gerontologischer Weiterbildung. Der Beitrag beschreibt und analysiert die bisherige Entwicklung und den gegenwärtigen Stand der gerontologischen Weiterbildung in der Schweiz (einem Kleinstaat, der zur Entwicklung der Gerontologie auch in Zukunft auf eine enge Kooperation mit den Nachbarländern angewiesen sein wird

Staging the Dead

The body is one of the basic media that form and communicate gender. How important gender is for the perception of an individual becomes especially clear by looking at the exhibition of a dead body. Having nothing left other than the body, the deceased are reduced to characteristics that seem to be the basis of a specific culture. However, in religious contexts the exhibition of mortal remains can also be used to overcome gender differentiations. In this article, I will focus on Central Europe, and argue that material presentations are an authoritative means of forming concepts of gender and religion

Aging parents and their middle-aged children: demographic and psychosocial challenges

The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of an extended lifespan of parents on middle-aged women and men from a demographic, sociological and psychological perspective. Based on Swiss data, three main research questions are investigated and discussed in three different sections: (a) How far has the common lifespan of children and parents been extended and how does it affect kinship structures? (b) How accurate is the term of "sandwich generation” in this context? (c) Which are the psychological concomitants—in terms of filial maturity—of being reinvolved with one's old parents in mid-life? The demographic analyses illustrate a considerable extension of common lifespan of children and parents. Combined with low fertility rates this results in rapidly increasing parent-support ratios. A sociological approach analysing the concept of "sandwich generation” indicates that, for women, a new kind of double burden (professional work and family care) is more widespread than being ‘sandwiched' between the youngest and the oldest generation. Finally, in the third section, results are reported from a longitudinal study of middle-aged persons living in different social contexts (such as living or not living with a partner and/or children) on the intrapsychic concomitants of becoming reinvolved with one's parents. The response patterns reveal a considerable intergenerational ambivalence. Although the possibility to help old parents depends heavily on living context and is a question of available resources, the willingness to help is also closely related to psychological variables such as attachmen

Contraception: answers of wives and husbands compared in a survey of Swiss couples

In a survey of Swiss couples, the husband-wife agreement on contraception (current use, and methods ever used) is high and husbands are generally as well informed on the use of contraceptive methods as their wives. The data indicate that the use of condoms may be underestimated in interviewing women only and that the contraceptive behaviour of a couple is related to the fertility preferences of both wife and husban

Staging the Dead. The Material Body as a Medium for Gender and Religion

The body is one of the basic media that form and communicate gender. How important gender is for the perception of an individual becomes especially clear by looking at the exhibition of a dead body. Having nothing left other than the body, the deceased are reduced to characteristics that seem to be the basis of a specific culture. However, in religious contexts the exhibition of mortal remains can also be used to overcome gender differentiations. In this article, I will focus on Central Europe, and argue that material presentations are an authoritative means of forming concepts of gender and religion

Cohort and Gender Differences in Psychosocial Adjustment to Later-Life Widowhood

Objectives. Despite the large body of literature on bereavement, little is known about the impact of sociohistorical context on individual reactions to spousal loss. This study examines the effect of marital status, time period and gender on physical and mental health, and whether reported difficulties following spousal loss differ at 2 distinctive time periods. Method. Two cohorts of older bereaved persons (n = 753) in Switzerland, surveyed in 1979 and 2011, were compared regarding their reports of difficulties related to marital loss. The bereaved spouses were also compared with a group of married contemporaries (n = 1,517) regarding subjective health and depressive symptoms. Results. Marital status and gender each have independent effects on subjective health and depressive symptoms. The effects of widowhood on subjective health differed significantly at both time points. Widowed individuals in 2011, especially women, reported fewer social and financial difficulties than their counterparts in 1979. However, the effect of widowhood on depressive symptoms and psychological difficulties did not differ significantly across time points. Discussion. Social changes in the late 20th century may be protective for older adults' physical, social, and financial well-being in the face of spousal loss, yet these changes do not alleviate widow(er)s' psychological distres

Staging the Dead. The Material Body as a Medium for Gender and Religion

The body is one of the basic media that form and communicate gender. How important gender is for the perception of an individual becomes especially clear by looking at the exhibition of a dead body. Having nothing left other than the body, the deceased are reduced to characteristics that seem to be the basis of a specific culture. However, in religious contexts the exhibition of mortal remains can also be used to overcome gender differentiations. In this article, I will focus on Central Europe, and argue that material presentations are an authoritative means of forming concepts of gender and religion

'Sandwich-Generation': Metapher oder soziale Realität?

"In sozialpolitischen Diskussionen werden Frauen und Männer mittleren Alters häufig durch die Metapher der 'Sandwich-Generation' charakterisiert. Dabei wird unterstellt, dass konkurrierende Anforderungen durch die Eltern- und Kindergenerationen namentlich für Frauen mittleren Alters heute typisch sind. Eine Literaturübersicht zeigt allerdings, dass das Konzept der 'Sandwich- Generation' unterschiedlich benützt und definiert wird. Im Rahmen dieses Beitrags wird von einer operationalisierbaren familiendemographischen Definition (Vorhandensein mindestens eines Kindes im eigenen Haushalt und Vorhandensein eines pflegebedürftigen Elternteils in oder außerhalb des Haushalts) ausgegangen. Eine für die Schweiz - einem Land mit traditionell relativ später Familiengründung - durchgeführte kohortenspezifische Analyse lässt erkennen, daß sich nur eine Minderheit von 6-7% der Frauen im Alter zwischen 40-49 Jahren tatsächlich in einer familiendemographischen 'Sandwich-Position' befindet. Der Hauptgrund für die tiefen Werte liegt in der hohen behinderungsfreien Lebenserwartung heutiger Elterngenerationen. Es scheint, dass Defizit-Modelle zum Altern sozialpolitisch zu einer Überschätzung intergenerationeller Doppelbelastungen beitragen können." (Autorenreferat)"Men and women in midlife are often characterized by the popular image of the 'sandwich generation'. Particularly middle aged women are often perceived as being caught between younger and older generations. However, the scientific Community defines the concept of 'sandwich' in different ways. In this research contribution a family demographic definition is used (women having at least one child still living at home as at the same time having a handicapped parent living within or without the same household). An empirical analysis for Switzerland - a country characterized by a tradition of late family formation - illustrates that only a minority of 6% to 7% of women aged 40 to 49 years experience a 'sandwich-situation' as defined. The main factor reducing the risk of an intergenerational squeeze is the high disability free life expectancy of todays parents." (author's abstract