Skip to main content
Log in

Living Arrangements of Older Women and Men in Kuwait

  • Published:
Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The main objectives of this article are toanalyze the correlates of living arrangementsof persons aged 60 or above in the oil-rich,Muslim country of Kuwait and to examine whetheror not patterns of co-residence differ bygender. Data were obtained from a nationallyrepresentative survey of households of Kuwaitinationals, and this paper is based on the 687older Kuwaiti residents of these households.Living arrangements were generally similar forwomen and men. Eighty nine percent of women and94 percent of men co-reside in households with atleast one son or daughter. Only 0.3 percent of menand 1.9 percent of women live alone.Socio-demographic characteristics of women andmen differed significantly; 58 percent of women werewidowed compared with 5 percent of men. Logisticregression analysis showed that women had twotimes higher odds than men of living withouttheir children. The odds of residing withoutchildren also increased with the respondent'sage and education but decreased with increasingwealth. Continued rapid demographic,socioeconomic, and cultural change in Kuwaitforetells continued decline in co-residencewith children, and the implications of suchchange in a small city-state merits furtherresearch.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Al Mughni, H. (2001). Women in Kuwait: The politics of gender. London: Saqi Books, 214 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Al Mughni, H. & Tetreault, M.-A. (2000). Citizenship, gender and the politics of quasi states. In J. Suad (ed.), Gender and citizenship in the Middle East(pp. 237–260). Syracuse University Press.

  • Al-Rashoud, R. & Farid, S. (eds) (1997). Kuwait family health survey 1996. Kuwait Ministry of Health/Riyadh: Council of ministers of GCC.

  • Andrews, G. (1991). World health organization collaborative study on social and Health aspects of aging in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia(ICPSR 6250). Ann Arbor, Michigan: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, G.-R. & Hennik, M.-M. (1992). The circumstances and contributions of older persons in three Asian countries: Preliminary results of a cross-national study, Asia-Pacific Population Journal7: 127–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asis, M.-M.-B., Domingo, L., Knodel, J. & Mehta, K. (1995). Living arrangements in four Asian countries: A comparative perspective, Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology10: 145–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aykan, H. & Wolf, D.-A. (2000). Traditionality, modernity, and household composition: Parent-child co-residence in contemporary Turkey, Research on Aging22: 395–422.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aytac, I.-A. (1998). Intergenerational living arrangements in Turkey, Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology13: 241–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron, L. (2000). The residency decision of elderly Indonesians: A nested logit analysis, Demography37: 17–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, R. & Ingersoll-Dayton, B. (2000). Variations in family caregiving in Japan and the US. In S.O. Long (ed.), Caring for the elderly in Japan and the U.S.: Practices and policies(pp. 231–248). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chan, A. (1997). An overview of the living arrangements and social support exchanges of older Singaporeans, Asia-Pacific Population Journal12: 35–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • DaVanzo, J. & Chan, A. (1994). Living arrangements of older Malaysians: Who co-resides with their adult children, Demography31(1): 95–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Vos, S. (1998). Regional differences in living arrangements among the elderly in Ecuador, Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology13: 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Domingo, L.-J. & Casterline J.-B. (1992). Living arrangements of the Filipino elderly, Asia-Pacific Population Journal7: 63–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eldemire, D. (1997). The Jamaican elderly: A socio-economic perspective and policy implications, Social and Economic Studies46: 75–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • ESCWA (1999). Demographic and related socio-economic data sheets. United Nations, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Report No. 10.

  • Hakansson, N.-T. & Levine, R.-A. (1997). Gender and life-course strategies among the Gusii. In T.S. Weisner, C. Bradley & P.L. Kilbride in collaboration with A.B.C. Ocholla-Ayayo, J. Akong'a & S. Wandibba (eds), African families and the crisis of social change(pp. 253–267). Westport, Connecticut: Bergin and Garvey.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khadr, Z.-A. (1997). Living arrangements and social support systems of the older population in Egypt. PhD dissertation. University of Michigan.

  • Kim, I.-K. & Choe, E.-H. (1992). Support exchange patterns of the elderly in the Republic of Korea, Asia-Pacific Population Journal7: 89–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knodel, J., Chayovan, N. & Siriboon, S. (1992). The impact of fertility decline on familial support for the elderly: an illustration from Thailand, Population and Development Review18: 79–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knodel, J., Saengtienchai, C. & Sittitrai, W. (1995). Living arrangements of the elderly in Thailand: Views of the populace, Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology10: 79–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, V.-L. (1992). A Cross-national study of disability among the elderly in less developed countries: Implications for the epidemiologic transition. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, V.-L. (1997). Gender differences in correlates of disablement among the elderly in Egypt, Social Science and Medicine45: 127–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, M.-L., Lin, H.-S. & Chang, M.-C. (1995). Living arrangements of the elderly in Taiwan: Qualitative evidence, Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology10: 53–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang, J., Schenjzu, G. & Krause, N. (1992). Social support among the aged inWuhan, China, Asia-Pacific Population Journal7: 33–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason, K.-O. (1992). Family change and support of the elderly in Asia: What do we know? The problem of care for the elderly is likely to be especially acute for women, Asia-Pacific Population Journal7: 13–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Health (1999). Health Kuwait. Health and Vital Statistics, Dept. of Statistics and Medical Records, Ministry of Health, State of Kuwait.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Planning. (1998). Annual statistical abstract. Kuwait.

  • Ogawa, N. & Retherford, R. D. (1997). Shifting costs for caring for the elderly back to families in Japan: will it work? Population and Development Review23: 59–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • PACI (2000). Directory of population and labor force. Public Authority of Civil Information. Kuwait.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shah, N.-M. & Al-Qudsi, S. (1990). Female work roles in a traditional oil economy; Kuwait, Research in Human Capital Development6: 213–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shah, N.-M., Al-Rahmani, E., Behbehani, J., Shah, M.-A. & Radovanovic, Z. (2000). Final Report of Project on Trends, Patterns and Predictors of Fertility of Kuwaiti Women. KFAS project number 96-07-15.

  • Shah, N.-M., Shah, M.-A. & Radovanovic, Z. (1998). Towards defining socioeconomic and demographic inequalities that may affect health in Kuwait, Medical Principles and Practice7: 33–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, A. (2001). The devlopmental paradigm, reading history sideways, and family change, Demography38(4): 449–465.

    Google Scholar 

  • Traphagan, J. W. (2000). The liminal family: return migration and intergenerational conflict in Japan, Journal of Anthropological Research56: 365–385.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, D.-A. (1990). Household patterns of older women: Some international comparisons, Research on Aging12: 463–487.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, D.-A. (1994). The elderly and their kin: patterns of availability and access. In L. G. Martin & S. H. Preston (eds), Demography of Aging(pp. 146–194). Washington: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yount, K.-M., Agree, E. & Rebellon, C. (2001). Gender, health, and access to care among older adults in Egypt and Tunisia. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America, 29–31 March, Washington, D.C.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nasra M. Shah.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shah, N.M., Yount, K.M., Shah, M.A. et al. Living Arrangements of Older Women and Men in Kuwait. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology 17, 337–355 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023031303608

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023031303608

Navigation