Social support of older people in Australia and Japan

Comparable networks surveys identified the informal relationships which pro vide social support to older people in urban Japan, provincial Japan, and u rban Australia. Spouses, daughters, and sons were major providers of expres sive support in all areas. Older Australians had more expressive support fr om friends while older Japanese had more instrumental support from daughter s-in-law. The gender of the older people and their close ties were highly s ignificant in all areas. The many similarities in the social support patter ns contrast sharply with East and West differences in cultural prescripts a nd Living arrangements. In these two advanced countries with long life expe ctancies and high living standards, older people's interpersonal relationsh ips may be converging on the basis of selective affection and choice, rathe r than obligation, with individuals in and beyond the household and family.