Using a cross-sectional analysis of 250 white individuals, 70-103 years of age, this article questions whether a vertical family structure is found with increasing age. Findings indicate, among other things, that at least until age 90 the proportion of individuals with a vertical family structure with four generations never exceeds the numbers of…

People's welfare is a function of both time and money. People can--and, it is said, increasingly do--suffer time-poverty as well as money-poverty. It is undeniably true that people feel increasingly time pressured, particularly in dual-earner households. But much of the time devoted to paid and unpaid tasks is over and above that which is strictly…

Reviews research from 1980s focusing on families who are beyond child-rearing years. Sees later-life families as characterized by continuity and changes as they experience marriage, divorce, widowhood, remarriage, childlessness, grandparenthood, sibling relationships, and family caregiving. Suggests areas for future research focusing on…

The authors have found no study that addressed the influence of religious practices, biblical texts, and a spiritual environment on the dynamics of coping with crises often experienced by couples who are infertile and who transition into childlessness. Twenty-five couples from the greater New York area who were referred by religious leaders…

This study was conducted to examine the types of stresses experienced by professionals. Subjects were 56 persons enrolled in graduate classes who completed the Tennessee Stress Scale-L, Work Related Stress Inventory for Professionals. Besides the Total stress score, the instrument produced three subscale scores: Stress Producers, Coping…

Examined effect of children on social integration and isolation of married people (N=2,194) over three life stages through use of a family life course perspective and social exchange theory. Found parents whose children had left home were most involved and "permanently" childless couples most isolated. Concluded social isolation of childless…

Analyzed data from Longitudinal Survey of Aging, showing that childless elderly were more likely to say that they lacked informal instrumental support at times of illness than were elderly parents. Childless, however, were no more likely to use social services than were elderly parents. Findings suggest ways to improve childless elderly's social…

Questionnaires were administered to single professional women (n=152) in higher education institutions. Performance on life satisfaction was significantly explained by recourse to the variables of job satisfaction, internal locus of control, regrets regarding life circumstances, sexual satisfaction, and leisure-time activities. (JPS)

Used data from 678 adults over age 55 to examine effect of parent status on 3 measures of subjective well-being: avowed happiness, depression, and life satisfaction. Found significant differences in subjective well-being between close and distant parents, and between close parents and childless by circumstance but not childless by choice. Also…

Despite recent changes in role options available to many women, a strong link continues to be reinforced among the issues of sexuality, maternity, and womanhood. Paper explores the implications of this maternal imperative for sexual self-esteem of heterosexual women without children. Four recommendations are made for working with women who, for…

This paper examines the crisis of infertility in the context of the biological or instinctual, cultural, and religious root of parenting. A therapeutic approach to the problem of infertility suggests that pastoral care should make a thorough diagnosis of the correlation between the motivation for parenting, role expectations in the social and…

The fertility rate for the 12 months ending in June 1988 was an estimated 69.7 births per 1,000 women aged 18 to 44 years. Fertility rates during the 1980s have been stable. The statistics on childbearing and birth expectations of U.S. women contained in the detailed tables of this report are based on data collected in the June 1988 supplement to…

Examines explanations for lower fertility rates including direct and opportunity costs. Considers things one forgoes to have children, including earnings, work and nonwork time, and type of job. Argues that women limit their fertility or remain childless for the symbolic significance of childbearing and their lifestyles, reflecting their view of…

Finds the author most effective when recounting personal experiences of dealing with regulations and bureaucratic procedures of adoption. Finds the book ineffective as a critique of adoption because of a fallacious premise that there is a shortage of children available for those waiting to adopt due to a defective adoption system. (Author/SD)

Used data from national survey to examine effect of children on parents' well-being. In general, parents scored better than nonparents on measures of life meaning, while measures of affective well-being and satisfaction were more strongly influenced by context of parenting. Marital status appeared to be particularly important determinant of effect…