Consequences of Childlessness in Later Life

Book reviews in this article: Objective : To examine the consequences of childlessness for living arrangements and instrumental support. Data : Statistics on 8,313 women aged 65 years and over from the 1986 Census Households Sample File, a 1 per cent sample of the census returns. Method : The paper first compares the living arrangements of childless women with those of mothers to illustrate the distinctiveness of the two populations. The paper then uses logistic regression modelling to analyse the effects of childlessness on the risk of living in particular situations. Conclusion : Childless women were more likely than mothers to be in hostels and nursing homes. Childlessness, independently of age and marital status, substantially increases the risk of institutionalisation.