Gender, informal social support networks, and elderly urban African Americans

Using data derived from a semi-longitudinal interview study of 45 urban, community-living African Americans aged 65 and over, this paper explores gender differences in informal social support. Women were found to have significantly larger, more extended informal social support networks than men. Adult children daughters in particular were key figures in the networks, especially for women. Men, especially men married to women who were not the mothers of their children, have small and vulnerable networks. The size and composition of informal social support networks were stable over a six month period, despite some change in the health and physical functioning of respondents. Informal social support networks existed long before such networks needed to be mobilized for caregiving purposes, and such networks arose in response to socioeconomic and affiliative needs across the entire lifespan rather than just in response to health or physical function needs in late life. Societal marginalization of Black men throughout their life has had profound effects on their access to informal social support in late life.