抄録
The author conducted a survey targeting elderly women aged 65 to 79 in City G, Melbourne, in 2006 and 2007. The aim of this paper is to analyze the data and examine whether a hierarchical compensatory relationship exists between various types of social ties. The analysis of the data revealed the following three points. (1) The most significant source of support was "cohabiting family members" for care during hospitalization and "non-cohabiting children and their spouses" for financial support. However, in terms of emotional support, no single source was dominant. The proportion of elderly women who could rely on a "spouse," "non-cohabiting children and their spouses," or "neighbours or friends" for emotional consultation and comfort was roughly the same. (2) The order in which elderly women sought instrumental support was: spouse, non-cohabiting children and their spouses, other relatives, and neighbours or friends. When they could not rely on individuals in the higher tiers of this hierarchy, those in the next tier most frequently filled the gap. Regarding emotional support, the following compensatory relationship was observed: the lack of comfort from a "spouse" was not compensated by any other type of relationship. Apart from this, the inability to seek emotional consultation and comfort from individuals in the higher tiers was most often compensated by "neighbours or friends." These findings closely align with the results of the author's previous analysis of a survey conducted on elderly women in Takahashi City and Okayama City, Japan. (3) Age, educational background, and driving ability also influenced whom elderly women turned to for support.
