Hi there Isabelle von Saenger! On 13 June, you will defend your doctoral thesis entitled "Care and financial support in ageing families: the changing shape of inequality." Can you tell us more about what it explores?
"The main aim is to deepen our understanding of how patterns of care and financial support - particularly between older parents and adult children - have changed over the past 30 years within the framework of the Swedish welfare state," says Isabelle von Saenger, doctoral student at the Aging Research Center (ARC) , Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society .
"A second aim is to explore how gender and socioeconomic inequalities both shape and are shaped by these changing patterns."
What are the key findings?
"Receiving care from family members in old age is becoming increasingly common, while the use of public home care services is declining - even among those with the greatest needs, such as individuals living alone or with significant disabilities. At the same time, older people, especially women, are increasingly providing financial support to younger family members, particularly grandchildren."
"We also observe clear social inequalities: families with fewer socioeconomic resources are more involved in caregiving, especially daughters. In contrast, older parents with greater socioeconomic resources are more likely to purchase care services and are increasingly providing financial support to younger relatives."
Decline in the use of home care services
"The results indicate, in other words, a continuous shift from public to private responsibility for individuals in need of care - which, in the worst-case scenario, may leave those without available family support entirely without help."
"Addressing this imbalance could improve quality of life for older people and ease the strain on informal carers. In the long term, it is crucial to tackle the unequal distribution of caregiving responsibilities within families to promote health equity and equal life opportunities across generations."
What does the future hold for you? Will you continue in research?
"I hope to continue conducting and communicating research that contributes both to a deeper understanding of ageing and to improved living conditions throughout the life course."
