Status of the Elderly: An Extension of the Theory

Previous cross-cultural analyses have established that the status of the elderly, as a category, is affected by several economic and familial factors. This study builds on earlier work by adding two variables to the analysis: socialization values and ancestor worship. The results show that the status of the elderly is systematically higher in societies in which conformity is a primary socialization value than in those where self-reliance is emphasized. This effect is largely independent of the effects of other known antecedents of the status of the elderly. Ancestor worship is also positively correlated with the status of the elderly, but this correlation is attributable to the simultaneous correlation of ancestor worship with other antecedents. Results are interpreted in terms of exchange theory.