Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

European patterns of intergenerational financial and time transfers

  • Original Investigation
  • Published:
European Journal of Ageing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The ageing of the European population is expected to strongly influence both the structure of family relations and the pattern of private transfers between generations. Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe conducted from the perspective of adults aged 50 and above in ten European countries, we provide an analysis of financial and time transfers, either given or received. Our results show that cash gifts mainly flow to the younger generations, while time transfers are directed both upwards and downwards. When comparing the countries, we find some remarkable similarity in the pattern of transfers, although there are inter-country differences. These differences sometimes follow the expected north-south European gradient, but not always. The results suggest that the social and demographic transformations currently taking place in Europe often have contradictory and paradoxical effects upon the nature of intergenerational exchanges.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. In this paper, we examine inter-country variations in transfers. It should be noted that a small part of the inter-country variation may be due to different sample designs within countries

  2. See note at bottom of Table 5 for details on how the family generational structure variable was created

  3. Reasons are only recorded for financial transfers in SHARE

References

  • Arrondel L, Masson A (2001) Family transfers involving three generations. Scand J Econ 103:415–443

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Attias-Donfut C (ed) (1995) Les solidarités entre générations, vieillesse, familles, Etat. Nathan, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Attias-Donfut C, Lapierre N (2000) Three generations in Guadeloupean society. In: The history of the family. Elsevier Science Inc., New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Attias-Donfut C, Wolff FC (2000a) The redistributive effects of generational transfers. In: Arber S, Attias-Donfut C (eds) The myth of generational conflict. The family and state in ageing societies. Routledge, London, pp 22–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Attias-Donfut C, Wolff FC (2000b) Complementarity between private and public transfers In: Arber S, Attias-Donfut C (eds) The myth of generational conflict. The family and state in ageing societies. Routledge, London, pp 47–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernheim BD, Forni L, Gokhale J, Kotlikoff LJ (2000) How much should Americans be saving for retirement? Am Econ Rev 90:288–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blau P (1964) Exchange and power in social life. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Börsch-Supan A, Jürges H (2005) Health, ageing and retirement in Europe-methodology. MEA, Mannheim

    Google Scholar 

  • Börsch-Supan A, Brugiavini A, Jürges H, Mackenbach J, Siegrist J, Weber G (2005) Health, ageing and retirement in europe—first results from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. MEA, Mannheim

    Google Scholar 

  • Cappellari L, Jenkins SP (2003) Multivariate probit regression using simulated maximum likelihood. Stata J 3:221–222

    Google Scholar 

  • Esping-Andersen G (1990) The three worlds of welfare capitalism. Polity, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Esping-Andersen G (1999), Social foundations of post-industrial economies. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Gullestad M, Segalen M (eds) (1997) Family and kinship in Europe, London. Pinter, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohli M (1999) Private and public transfers between generations: linking the family and the state. Eur Soc European Sociological Association/Routledge, 1(1): 81–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Blanc D, Wolff FC (2005) Leaving the parental home: the role of incomes, mimeo, Université de Nantes

  • Lyberaki A, Tinios P (2005) Poverty and social exclusion: a new approach to an old issue. In: Börsch-Supan A, Brugiavini A, Jürges H, Mackenbach J, Siegrist J, Weber G (eds) Health, ageing and retirement in Europe: first results form the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Ageing

  • Mauss M (1925) Essay on the gift, English edn. 1966. Cohen and West, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogg J (2005) Social exclusion and insecurity among older Europeans: the influence of welfare regimes. Ageing Soc 25:1–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ogg J, Renaut S (2006) The baby boomer generation and family support—a European perspective. Ageing Soc (in press)

  • Rehr D (1998) Family ties in Western Europe: persistent contrasts. Popul Dev Rev 24:203–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sgritta GB (2001) Family and welfare systems in the transition to adulthood: an emblematic case-study. European Observatory paper, University of Milano Bicocca

  • Simmel G (1955) Conflict and the web of group affiliations. Glencoe, IL, Free Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Sloan FA, Zhang HH, Wang J (2002) Upstream intergenerational transfers. South Econ J 69:363–380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolff FC (2000) Les transferts versés aux enfants et aux parents: altruisme ou échange intertemporel? Économie et Prévision 142:67–91

    Google Scholar 

  • Zissimopoulos J (2001) Resource transfers to the elderly: do adult children substitute financial transfers for time transfers? mimeo, Labor and Population Program Working Paper Series 01–05, Rand

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the editor and two anonymous referees for helpful comments and suggestions on a previous draft. This paper uses data from the early release 1 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) 2004. This release is preliminary and may contain errors that will be corrected in later releases. The SHARE data collection has been primarily funded by the European Commission through the 5th framework programme (project QLK6-CT-2001-00360 in the thematic programme Quality of Life programme area). Additional funding came from the US National Institute on Aging (U01 AG09740-13S2, P01 AG005842, P01 AG08291, P30 AG12815, Y1-AG- 4553-01 and OGHA 04-064). Data collection in Austria (through the Austrian Science Foundation, FWF), Belgium (through the Belgian Science Policy Administration) and Switzerland (through BBW/OFES/UFES) was nationally funded. The SHARE data set is introduced in Börsch-Supan et al. (2005); methodological details are contained in Börsch-Supan and Jürges (2005).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Caisse Nationale d‘Assurance Vieillesse, Paris, France

    Claudine Attias-Donfut

  2. Young Foundation, London and CNAV, Paris, France

    Jim Ogg

  3. LEN, Faculté des Sciences Economiques, Université de Nantes, Paris, France

    François-Charles Wolff

  4. CNAV and INED, Paris, France

    François-Charles Wolff

Authors
  1. Claudine Attias-Donfut
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jim Ogg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. François-Charles Wolff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Claudine Attias-Donfut.

Appendix

Appendix

Descriptive statistics of the sample

Country

Sweden

Denmark

Netherlands

Germany

Switzerland

Austria

France

Italy

Spain

Greece

All

Characteristics of the respondents

 Female (%)

52.9

50.2

55.1

51.7

47.3

58.2

54.1

54.2

58.7

58.3

55.3

 Age (mean)

  Less than 55

20.4

26.0

25.5

23.7

25.7

18.3

25.6

17.3

20.9

26.5

22.6

  From 55 to 64

36.1

33.3

36.9

33.9

32.3

36.8

28.2

39.1

27.7

28.1

30.2

  From 65 to 74

23.9

20.8

22.9

27.0

22.8

27.2

25.4

29.1

28.9

26.3

25.7

  75 and more

19.7

19.9

14.6

15.5

19.2

17.7

20.9

14.6

22.5

19.1

21.6

 Family size

  Live alone

36.9

35.9

30.4

33.8

27.6

36.1

28.0

23.4

21.0

31.5

28.7

  Live in couple only

48.7

45.8

48.6

43.5

52.0

37.7

42.5

31.0

27.5

32.4

38.8

  Live with other family members

14.4

18.3

21.0

22.7

20.3

26.2

29.5

45.6

51.5

36.0

32.6

 Family generational structure

  1 generation

7.0

9.0

8.3

11.8

11.1

13.5

11.0

11.1

11.2

8.2

12.2

  Older, 2 generations

13.2

12.1

16.2

17.8

19.6

15.0

11.1

20.6

15.4

19.9

15.7

  Older, 3 generations

50.7

50.0

48.7

46.7

40.6

50.7

45.3

45.4

52.2

42.4

47.3

  Pivot

26.8

25.8

23.8

19.2

24.3

17.9

29.3

20.4

18.6

25.9

21.4

  Childless, 2 generations

2.3

3.1

3.1

4.5

4.3

2.9

3.4

2.6

2.6

3.6

3.4

 Self-reported health

  Very good

35.8

36.7

26.1

16.0

36.8

24.0

17.9

13.8

13.8

25.6

17.7

  Good

37.7

31.8

43.8

41.0

44.6

39.3

43.7

37.0

37.9

39.6

39.9

  Fair

19.2

23.3

24.4

31.5

14.8

28.0

27.6

36.8

32.6

26.8

30.9

  Bad or very bad

7.2

8.2

5.7

11.5

3.8

8.7

10.6

12.3

15.8

8.0

11.6

 Years of education (mean)

10.4

12.7

11.1

13.6

12.3

11.3

8.3

7.1

5.6

8.6

9.7

 Median household income

33,368

30,829

38,832

28,145

37,846

23,593

29,934

22,719

16,712

15,245

23,593

  1. Source: SHARE 2004, release 1 (weighted results); n = 22,777

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Attias-Donfut, C., Ogg, J. & Wolff, FC. European patterns of intergenerational financial and time transfers. Eur J Ageing 2, 161–173 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-005-0008-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-005-0008-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation