Families and intergenerational relationships in aging societies: comparing the United States with German-speaking countries

Industrialized nations have experienced many demographic changes favoring older adults during the last few decades of the 20th century. This article is a comparative examination of current and future trends in intergenerational relationships and aging in two societies: the United States and German-speaking countries. While comparing similarities and significant differences between the cultures, we examine five issues related to these trends for families and intergenerational relationships in the 21st century: (1) consequences of population aging for family structures and relationships – the emergence of the beanpole family structure and the longer years of linked lives across generations; (2) the debate about the decline of the family; (3) intergenerational solidarity over the life course; (4) intergenerational conflict across the life course; (5) prospects for solidarity and conflict between generations in the 21st century. Similarities between cultures include the demographic realities of population aging, the shift from pyramids to beanpoles, more years of shared lives between and across generations, more non-traditional family forms, and intergenerational conflicts in families. Differences include diverse replacement fertility rates, alternative approaches to governmental supports for families and aging members, and possible differences in cultural values regarding individualism.