The family and community lives of older people after the Second World War: new evidence from York.
This article uses the findings of a detailed and unpublished survey, carried out in York in 1947 and 1948, to examine the support networks, social lives and economic conditions of older people in a period when considerable sociological attention was being paid to this section of the population. It is argued that the sociology of old age in this period overstated the role of families, and downplayed the involvement of the wider community, in the social networks of older people. The article also shows that even many of those who were physically restricted in some way could participate fully in social activities. Friends, visiting and social clubs played an important role in many lives. However, the financial circumstances of many older people restricted many areas of social participation, and contemporaneous poverty surveys probably understated the real extent of poverty among the elderly. These high levels of poverty themselves underscore the importance of the family and community support networks that are uncovered using the York data.
Freeman
Mark
M
University of Glasgow.
Wannell
Louise
L
D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection / Q000266:history; D004739:England; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty / Q000266:history*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012944:Social Support; D047789:World War II