Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T07:48:22.109Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Life satisfaction among older people in Italy in a gender approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2014

SILVIA MEGGIOLARO  and
FAUSTA ONGARO
SILVIA MEGGIOLARO*
Affiliation:
Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy.
FAUSTA ONGARO
Affiliation:
Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, Italy.
*
Address for correspondence: Silvia Meggiolaro, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, Via C. Battisti, 241, 35141, Padova, Italy. E-mail: meg@stat.unipd.it
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Over the last few decades, increasing attention has been paid to the issue of wellbeing among older people, and life satisfaction has been used as an indicator to evaluate older people's life conditions. This paper sheds some light on this topic with reference to Italy, a country characterised by an increasing ageing population. The aim is to examine life satisfaction among people aged 65 and older and its predictors. We adopt a gender approach to examine whether – as suggested by the literature – older men and women have different sources of satisfaction. We test this hypothesis in Italy, a country still characterised by an unbalanced public and private gender system. In doing this, we also control whether living arrangements – specifically living alone – influence the determinants of life satisfaction of older men and women. The data used are from the cross-sectional surveys ‘Aspects of Daily Life’, undertaken in Italy by the National Statistical Institute. The results do not show clear gender differences in the determinants of life satisfaction, with only some slight gender differences among those living alone. This suggests that the social and cultural environment may play a relevant role for older people's life satisfaction.

Keywords

life satisfactiongender differencesfamily and living arrangementsItaly
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 35 , Issue 7 , August 2015 , pp. 1481 - 1504
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Angelini, V., Cavapozzi, D., Corazzini, L. and Paccagnella, O. 2012. Age, health, and life satisfaction among older Europeans. Social Indicator Research, 105, 2, 293–308.Google Scholar
Angelini, V., Cavapozzi, D., Corazzini, L. and Paccagnella, O. 2013. Do Danes and Italians rate life satisfaction in the same way? Using vignettes to correct for individual-specific scale biases. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics. First Published online 18 06 2013, doi:10.1111/obes.12039.Google Scholar
Anxo, D., Mencarini, L., Pailhè, A., Solaz, A., Tanturri, M. L. and Flood, L. 2011. Gender differences in time use over the life course in France, Italy, Sweden, and the US. Feminist Economics, 17, 3, 159–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berg, A. I., Hassing, L. B., McClearn, G. E. and Johansson, B. 2006. What matters for life satisfaction in the oldest-old? Aging and Mental Health, 10, 3, 257–64.Google Scholar
Bourque, P., Pushkar, D., Bonneville, L. and Béland, F. 2005. Contextual effects on life satisfaction of older men and women. Canadian Journal of Aging, 24, 1, 31–44.Google Scholar
Bowling, A. 1995. What things are important in people's lives? A survey of the public's judgements to inform scales of health realted quality of life. Social Science and Medicine, 41, 10, 1447–62.Google Scholar
Cheng, S. T. and Chan, A. C. M. 2006. Relationship with others and life satisfaction in later life: do gender and widowhood make a difference? Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 61, 1, 46–53.Google Scholar
Daatland, S. L. 2005. Quality of life and ageing. In Johnson, M. L. (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Age and Ageing. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 371–7.Google Scholar
Dalla Zuanna, G. and Micheli, G. 2004. Strong Family, Familism and Lowest-low Fertility. Kluwer Academic Press, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
de Jong Gierveld, J., Dykstra, P. A. and Schenk, N. 2012. Living arrangements, intergenerational support types and older adult loneliness in Eastern and Western Europe. Demographic Research, 27, 7, 167–200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Rose, A., Racioppi, F. and Zanatta, A. L. 2008. Delayed adaptation of social institutions to changes in family behaviour. Demographic Research, 19, 19, 665–704.Google Scholar
Dolan, P. and Metcalfe, R. 2012. Measuring subjective wellbeing: recommendations on measures for use by National Governments. Journal of Social Policy, 41, 2, 409–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Easterlin, R. A. 2003. Happiness of women and men in later life: nature, determinants, and prospects. In Sirgy, M. J., Rahtz, D. R. and Samli, A. C. (eds), Advances in Quality of Life Theory and Research. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 13–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Easterlin, R. A. 2008. Lost in transition: life satisfaction on the road to capitalism. Discussion Paper 3409, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn, Germany.Google Scholar
European Commission 2013. Report on Public Finances in EMU. European Commission, Brussels.Google Scholar
Eurostat 2002. La vie des femmes et des hommes en Europe, un portrait statistique [The Lives of Women and Men: A Statistical Portrait]. European Commission, Brussels.Google Scholar
Fagerström, C., Holst, G. and Hallberg, I. R. 2007. Feeling hindered by health problems and functional capacity at 60 years and above. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 44, 2, 181–201.Google Scholar
Fernández-Ballesteros, R., Zamarrón, M. D. and Ruíz, M. A. 2001. The contribution of socio-demographic and psychosocial factors to life satisfaction. Ageing & Society, 21, 1, 25–43.Google Scholar
Freund, A. and Baltes, P. B. 1998. Selection, optimization, and compensation as strategies of life management: correlations with subjective indicators of successful aging. Psychology and Aging, 13, 4, 531–43.Google Scholar
Gabriel, Z. and Bowling, A. 2004. Quality of life from the perspectives of older people. Ageing & Society, 24, 5, 675–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gagliardi, C., Marcellini, F., Papa, R., Giuli, C. and Mollenkopf, H. 2010. Associations of personal and mobility resources with subjective wellbeing among older adults in Italy and Germany. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 50, 1, 42–7.Google Scholar
Gaymu, J. and Springer, S. 2010. Living conditions and life satisfaction of older Europeans living alone: a gender and cross-country analysis. Ageing & Society, 30, 7, 1153–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
George, L. K. 2006. Perceived quality of life. In Binstock, R. H. and George, L. K. (eds), Handbook of Aging and Social Sciences. Sixth edition, Elsevier, San Diego, California, 320–36.Google Scholar
Glaser, K. and Tomassini, C. 2000. Proximity of older women to their children. A comparison of Britain and Italy. The Gerontologist, 40, 6, 729–37.Google Scholar
Gurung, R. A. R., Taylor, S. E. and Seeman, T. E. 2003. Accounting for changes in social support among married older adults: insights from the MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging. Psychology and Aging, 18, 3, 487–96.Google Scholar
Hango, D. W. and Le Bourdais, C. 2007. Early union formation in Canada: links with education. European Journal of Population, 23, 3/4, 339–68.Google Scholar
Hsieh, C. M. 2003. Income, age and financial satisfaction. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 56, 2, 89–112.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Horstmann, V., Haak, M., Tomsone, S., Iwarsson, S. and Gräsbeck, A. 2012. Life satisfaction in older women in Latvia and Sweden – relations to standard of living, aspects of health and coping behaviour. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 27, 4, 391–407.Google Scholar
Kahneman, D. and Deaton, A. 2010. High income improves evaluation of the life but not emotional wellbeing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107, 38, 16489–93.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keilman, N. and Christiansen, S. 2013. Probabilistic household forecasts based on register data – the case of Denmark and Finland. Demographic Research, 28, 1263–302.Google Scholar
Inglehart, R. 2002. Gender, aging and subjective wellbeing. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 43, 3–5, 391–408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT) 2000. Cultura, Socialità e Tempo Libero. Informazioni 56, ISTAT, Rome.Google Scholar
Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (ISTAT) 2009. La Vita Quotidiana nel 2009. Informazioni 5, ISTAT, Rome.Google Scholar
Jan, I. S. 2004. A study on spiritual wellbeing, depression, and health status of elderly women in a community. Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing, 10, 2, 91–8.Google Scholar
Liefbroer, A. C. and Corjin, M. 1999. Who, what, and when? Specifying the impact of educational attainment and labour force participation on family formation. European Journal of Population, 15, 1, 45–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Litwin, H. and Sapir, E. V. 2009. Perceived income adequacy among older adults in 12 countries: findings from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe. The Gerontologist, 49, 3, 397–406.Google Scholar
Lowenstein, A., Katz, R. and Gur-Yaish, N. 2007. Reciprocity in parent–child exchange and life satisfaction among the elderly: a cross-national perspective. Journal of Social Issues, 639, 4, 865–83.Google Scholar
Meléndez, J. C., Tomás, J. M., Oliver, A. and Navarro, E. 2009. Psychological and physical dimensions explaining life satisfaction among the elderly: a structural model examination. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 48, 3, 291–5.Google Scholar
Mroczek, D. K. and Kolarz, C. M. 1998. The effect of age on positive and negative affect: a developmental perspective on happiness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 5, 1333–49.Google Scholar
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. 2001. Gender differences in depression. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10, 5, 173–6.Google Scholar
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2010. Gender Brief. OECD Social Policy Division, Paris.Google Scholar
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2013. OECD Economic Outlook. Volume 2013/1, OECD Publishing, Paris.Google Scholar
Oshio, T. 2012. Gender differences in the associations of life satisfaction with family and social relations among the Japanese elderly. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 27, 3, 259–74.Google Scholar
Pinquart, M. and Sörensen, S. 2000. Influences of socio-economic status, social networks and competence on subjective well being in later life: a meta-analysis. Psychology and Ageing, 15, 2, 187–224.Google Scholar
Pinquart, M. and Sörensen, S. 2001. Gender differences in self-concept and psychological well being in old age: a meta-analysis. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 56B, 4, 195–213.Google Scholar
Polverini, F. and Lamura, G. 2005. Italy: quality of life in old age. In Walker, A. (ed.), Growing Older in Europe. Open University Press, Maidenhead, UK, 55–82.Google Scholar
Ross, C. E., Masters, R. K. and Hummer, R. A. 2012. Education and the gender gaps in health and mortality. Demography, 49, 4, 1157–83.Google Scholar
Silverman, P., Hecht, L. and McMillin, D. 2000. Modeling life satisfaction among the aged: a comparison of Chinese and Americans. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 15, 4, 289–305.Google Scholar
Silverman, P., Hecht, L., McMillin, J. D. and Chang, S. P. 2008. Social Networks of Older Adults: A Comparative Study of American and Taiwanese. Cambria Press, New York.Google Scholar
Stevens, N. and Westerhof, G. J. 2006. Marriage, social integration and loneliness in the second half of life: a comparison of Dutch and German men and women. Research on Aging, 28, 6, 713–29.Google Scholar
Tate, R. B., Lah, L. and Cuddy, T. E. 2003. Definition of successful aging by elderly Canadian males: the Manitoba follow-up study. The Gerontologist, 43, 5, 735–44.Google Scholar
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division 2009. World Population Ageing. United Nations, New York.Google Scholar
Walker, A. 2005. A European perspective on quality of life in old age. European Journal of Ageing, 2, 1, 2–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Westerhof, G. J. and Barrett, A. E. 2005. Age identity and subjective wellbeing: a comparison of the United States and Germany. Journals of Gerontology, 60B, 3, 129–36.Google Scholar
Wilhelmson, K., Andersson, C., Waern, M. and Allebeck, P. 2005. Elderly people's perspectives on quality of life. Ageing & Society, 25, 4, 585–600.CrossRefGoogle Scholar