Older People’s Capacities and Intergenerational Mutual Support Provision in Vietnam

Trinh Thai Quang; Vasoontara Yiengprugsawan

doi:10.53098/wir.2019.3.184/04

Authors

Trinh Thai Quang Trinh Thai Quang, PhD, Researcher, Insitute for Family and Gender Studies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, 27 Tran Xuan Soan Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi, Vietnam https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8866-0959
Vasoontara Yiengprugsawan Vasoontara Yiengprugsawan, PhD, Senior Researcher, ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), UNSW Business School, University of New South Wales, Ground Floor, East Wing, UNSW Kensington Campus, Sydney 2052 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9101-4704

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53098/wir.2019.3.184/04

Keywords:

intergenerational support, older people, intergenerational relationship, Vietnam

Abstract

The paper focuses on the mutual support provision between older people and their children. Intergenerational exchange is considered an empirical indicator of functional solidarity, a core constituent of intergenerational solidarity (Bengtson and Roberts 1991). Types of support in this analysis include financial support, housework, care support and work assistance. Data from Vietnam National Ageing Survey 2011 were used for analysis with a sample of 2,700 participants aged 60 and older. Results suggested that older with more resources tend to involve in intergenerational mutual support provision relationships, particularly financial support. Additionally, age, marital status, living arrangement, number of children, and health condition of older parents significantly contribute to encouraging mutual support provision. Future research could focus on reciprocity models and the relationship between quality of intergenerational relationships and support exchange. Further, it could explore the outcomes of support exchanges, which results in older people’s wellbeing in advanced age.

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