Health and Helping among the Elderly

Abstract

This article compares helping networks of men and women for four different illness situations among a random sample of elderly individuals aged 60 and over living in an urban center on the Canadian Prairies (N = 743). Helping networks vary depending on the illness situation. Gender differences are also evident in helping networks, reflecting gender differences in overall interaction patterns. Men are more likely to receive assistance from spouses, and women are more likely to receive assistance from nonspousal others, even when taking availability into account. These gender differences in helping networks are evident for less serious illness situations, such as potential availability during health emergencies and assistance with common ailments. For more serious illness situations (serious conditions and functional disability), many of these gender differences disappear. That is, in the face of serious health threats differential societal expectations for men and women dissipate.