Gender differences in social provisions and loneliness: A comparison of three cohorts

Abstract

Within the Dutch cultural framework, married men and women organize their social lives in similar ways in late adulthood. Like married women, Dutch men are involved in a variety of relationships. Social provisions from the partner, children and friends influence loneliness levels of both men and women. However it is unclear whether this similarity is characteristic of different cohorts in late adulthood. In this paper gender and cohort differences in social provisions and loneliness are examined in three cohorts of married persons born between 1920-1929, 1930-1945, and 1946-1960, using data from the Dutch Aging Survey. Contrary to predictions based on cultural typing, social change and life span development, similarity was characteristic of the youngest and oldest cohorts. Gender differences in social provisions and loneliness were found primarily in the middle cohort. A combination of cultural change and late-life development might explain these results.