This article examines the relationship between the availability of family roles and several dimensions of participation in community life in order to determine the interrelatedness and substitutability of these two spheres of role-playing opportunities. The data for this analysis derive from a panel study of 320 aged individuals. The data suggest that, in some cases, community roles may be conceived as functional substitutes for family roles, with the role of spouse being the pivotal link to understanding the relative value of these roles.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Babchuk, N.
and A. Booth1969"Voluntary association memberships: a longitudinal analysis."Amer. Soc. Rev.34: 31-45.
2.
Bell, B. D.1973"The family life cycle, primary relationships, and social participation patterns."Gerontologist (Spring): 78-81.
3.
Beyer, G. H. and M. E. Woods 1963 "Living and activity patterns of the aged." Research Report No. 6. Ithaca, NY: Center for Housing and Environmental Studies, Cornell University.
4.
Caplow, T.
and R. Foreman1950"Neighborhood Interaction in a homogeneous community."Amer. Soc. Rev.15: 357-366.
5.
Cowgill, D. O.
and L. D. Holmes (eds.) 1972Aging and Modernization. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
6.
Glenn, N. D.
and M. Grimes1969"Aging, voting, and political interest."Amer. Soc. Rev.34: 563-575.
7.
Hansen, G. D.
, S. Yoshioka, M. Taves, and F. Caro1965"Older people in the Midwest: conditions and attitudes," in A. M. Rose and W. A. Peterson (eds.) Older People and Their Social World. Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis.
8.
Hausknecht, M.1962The Joiners: A Sociological Description of Voluntary Association Memberships in the United States. New York: Bedminister Press.
9.
Parsons, T.1942"Age and sex in the social structure of the United States."Amer. Soc. Rev.7: 604-616.
10.
1976"The family life of older people," in R. H. Binstock and E. Shanas (eds.) Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
11.
Taietz, P.
and O. F. Larson1956"Social participation and old age."Rural Sociology21: 229-238.
12.
Wilensky, H.1961"Life cycle, work situation and participation in formal associations," in R. W. Kleemeir (ed.) Aging and Leisure. New York: Oxford Univ. Press.
