Towards a Typology of Intergenerational Relations: Continuities and Change in Families

Abstract

This paper focuses on ‘beanpole’ families, that is those with several living generations; it analyses patterns of care and paid work across the generations and the resource transfers which take place between generations. Drawing on a small-scale study of four generation families, it provides a typology of intergenerational relations with respect to the transmission of material assets, childcare and elder care, sociability, emotional support, and values. It examines two a fortiori conditions which are considered to shape intergenerational relations: (a) occupational status continuity/ mobility and (b) geographical proximity/ mobility. Four types of intergenerational relations are generated by this examination: traditional solidaristic; differentiated; incorporation of difference; and reparation in estrangement. The paper looks at families holistically and draws on the concept of ambivalence to describe the forces which push family members to carry on family patterns and those which pull them apart and lead them to strike out on their own. It shows how, whatever the type of intergenerational pattern, each generational unit seeks to make its own mark.