Identify and describe the challenges of never-married, childless older adults

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

About 5 percent of older Americans have remained unmarried and childless throughout their lives. Almost all are conscious of being different from the norm, but most have developed alternative meaningful relationships. Some nonmarried seniors speak of the centrality of extended family and of younger people in their social networks—often nieces and nephews—and of influencing them in enduring ways. In addition, same-sex friendships are key in never-married older women's lives. These tend to be unusually close and often involve joint travel, periods of coresidence, and associations with each other's extended families. Never-married, childless men are more likely than women to feel lonely and depressed. And without pressure from a partner to maintain a healthy lifestyle, they engage in more unhealthy behaviors. Hence, their physical and mental health is poor compared with their married counterparts. Never-married older women report a level of well-being equivalent to that of married older adults and greater than that of divorcées and recently widowed seniors. Only when they cannot maintain social contacts because of declining health do they report feeling lonely. Because friendships are not the same as blood ties when it comes to caregiving, being unmarried and childless in very old age reduces the likelihood of informal personal care. And with close ties weighted toward friends, nonmarried childless seniors lose more network members with increasing age. Still, most say that some informal support is available.