Siblings in Old Age-Relationships 'On the Edge'?

Abstract

Older age, especially advanced age, is accompanied by changes in the social relations amongst the elderly and specifically by a decrease in the size of their social networks: Peers pass away and contact with other people may be restricted, often due to declining physical and mental strength. Gerontosociology notes the elderly's preferential focus on the family, which is usually defined in terms of intergenerational relationships and a support network in old age. Relationships with siblings lie outside the research interest of gerontosociology because they are considered peer relationships, which is to say that they, too, are subject to the effects of ageing and old age and, consequently, are less reliable as a source of help or care. However, the article shows that the elderly assign meaning to their relationships with their siblings, which go beyond mere instrumental assistance and which challenges the generally accepted view that sibling bonds are of secondary importance compared to relationships between older parents and adult children. The article answers the question of what the essence of siblinghood in old age is, its possible forms, and in what ways (according to what rules) the elderly maintain or develop sibling relationships-how they communicate in interactions with each other and in interactions with other members of their family of procreation and their shared family of origin. The article is based on the results of an analysis of data from a qualitative study carried out by conducting unstructured individual and group interviews as part of the project 'Greying Siblinghood: Sociological Study of Siblinghood in Late Adulthood'. In the theoretical framework of interpretive sociology, in which the article is anchored, both the key concepts of the relationist approach (family configuration, relatedness, belongingness, practices and rules of kinship interaction) and the concept of kinship ambivalence come to the forefront.