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Fertility Decline, Gender Composition of Families, and Expectations of Old Age Support.

ABSTRACT: Recent fertility declines in non-Western countries may have the potential to transform gender systems. One pathway for such transformations is the creation of substantial proportions of families with children of only one gender. Such families, particularly those with only daughters, may facilitate greater symmetry between sons and daughters. This article explores whether such shifts may influence gendered expectations of old age support. In keeping with patriarchal family systems, old age support is customarily provided by sons, but not daughters, in India. Using data from the 2005 Indian Human Development Survey, I find that women with sons overwhelmingly expect old age support from a son. By contrast, women with only daughters largely expect support from a daughter or a source besides a child. These findings suggest that fertility decline may place demographic pressure on gendered patterns of old age support and the gender system more broadly.

SUBMITTER: Allendorf K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5362165 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Fertility Decline, Gender Composition of Families, and Expectations of Old Age Support.

Allendorf Keera K

Population research and policy review 20141219 4

Recent fertility declines in non-Western countries may have the potential to transform gender systems. One pathway for such transformations is the creation of substantial proportions of families with children of only one gender. Such families, particularly those with only daughters, may facilitate greater symmetry between sons and daughters. This article explores whether such shifts may influence gendered expectations of old age support. In keeping with patriarchal family systems, old age suppor ...[more]

PMID: 28344373

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Project description:ImportanceCognitive decline is a leading cause of disability and death in old age but its neurobiological bases are not well understood.ObjectiveTo test the hypothesis that transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is related to late-life cognitive decline.Design, setting, and participantsLongitudinal clinical-pathologic cohort study involving more than 40 Catholic groups across the United States. A total of 130 older Catholic nuns, priests, and monks underwent annual clinical evaluations, including detailed cognitive testing, for a mean of 10.1 years prior to death. On neuropathologic examination, we collected semiquantitative measures of TDP-43 pathology, density of neuronal neurofibrillary tangles, area occupied by amyloid-beta plaques, and the presence of alpha-synuclein Lewy bodies from multiple brain regions. Gross and microscopic cerebral infarcts and hippocampal sclerosis were also identified.Main outcomes and measuresAnnual rate of change in a previously established composite measure of global cognition during a mean of 10.1 years of annual observation before death.ResultsTransactive response DNA-binding protein 43 pathology, ranging from sparse to severe, was identified in 46% of participants and was associated with amyloid plaques, tangles, and hippocampal sclerosis but not neocortical Lewy bodies or cerebral infarcts. After controlling for amyloid plaques, tangles, and hippocampal sclerosis, TDP-43 pathology was associated with more rapid cognitive decline and accounted for nearly as much of the variability in rates of global cognitive decline as did tangles. Transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 pathology had a distinct cognitive profile that differed from other neuropathologic processes (related to decline in episodic and working memory but not in other cognitive domains), and it was elevated in those who developed dementia but not in those with mild cognitive impairment.Conclusion and relevanceThe results suggest that TDP-43 is an important brain pathology underlying cognitive decline and dementia in old age.

Dataset Information

Fertility Decline, Gender Composition of Families, and Expectations of Old Age Support.

Publications

Fertility Decline, Gender Composition of Families, and Expectations of Old Age Support.

Similar Datasets

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