Intergenerational Relationships in the Family: Ethnic, Socioeconomic, and Country Variations in Germany, Israel, Palestine, and Turkey

Abstract

This study examines some aspects of intergenerational relationships in different sociocultural contexts. Using data from Germany, Israel, Palestine, and Turkey from the Value of Children and Intergenerational Relationships Project, mother—adolescent dynamics are studied. Mothers’ expectation of future support from grown-up offspring and the adolescents’ support to the mother are the main dependent variables under consideration. Socioeconomic standing, particularly mother’s education, cultural values concerning family independence or interdependence, intergenerational intimacy, and support are found to affect the dependent variables. Although on one hand systematic patterns of predicted interrelationships are found in line with Kagitcibasi’s theory of family change, the complexity of the dynamics involved and the diversity of the samples prevent drawing clear dimensions of variation based on the comparative analyses.