Intergenerational Entanglements—Insights Into Perceptions of Care for the Elderly and Life-Courses in Northern Togo

Abstract

The social basis of both elderly care and childcare is the general idea of intergenerational reciprocity. This idea seems to be a human universal all over the world, and is often called the “generational contract.” In this context, care can be understood as something like a currency circulating between persons of different ages over their individual life-courses. In certain phases of the life-course, people act more as care providers, in others more as the recipients of care. Nevertheless, the ways in which this intergenerational reciprocity is organized differ from one local area to another. The contract has to be converted in one way or another to ensure the survival of the whole of society, including its dependent, weak, and vulnerable members like children, the elderly, and the sick. If the contract is not performed satisfyingly in individual cases, it is in need of explanation—which is why it can be seen as a human universal.