ERIC Number: ED229671
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1982-Oct
Pages: 17
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Two Generations of Mothers and Daughters: Role Status and Interdependence.
Walker, Alexis J.; Thompson, Linda
The mother/daughter relationship is probably one of the most enduring affectional bonds. Addressing the assumption that family members differ in their orientation to and dependence on other generations by virtue of their unique roles, three generations of women, 254 mother and daughter pairs, were studied for role convergence and the effect of role status on interdependence. The roles examined were marital status for the students, parenthood and work status for their mothers, and marriage/widowhood for the grandmothers. The components of interdependence in the mother/daughter relationship were aid (proximal and distal), contact (measured by frequency of visiting and telephoning), and attaching (dependence on a specific person for emotional support). Analyses of data showed that middle aged women related similarly to their mothers and daughters regardless of role status, and widows were no more dependent on children than married elderly women. Role status was significant for the youngest generation in that married daughters exhibited greater independence from their mothers than did single daughters. (WAS)
Descriptors: Adults, Attachment Behavior, Daughters, Females, Grandparents, Marital Status, Mothers, Parent Child Relationship, Role Theory, Widowed
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Council on Family Relations (Washington, DC, October 13-16, 1982). Best copy available.