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The role of youth in strengthening
intergenerational solidarity within the family
Ediola Pashollari, Secretary General, World Assembly of Youth
A
dvancing
S
ocial
I
ntegration
and
I
ntergenerational
S
olidarity
M
any studies have shown the strength of families
as functioning social support units with frequent
and regular intergenerational contact and assis-
tance.
1
It is important to note that every generation plays
a fundamental role in supporting intergenerational soli-
darity. For instance, children often unite families in cases
where those families have been separated by divorce,
distance or death. It is common for grandparents, aunts
and uncles to take over parenting duties in cases where
the children’s parents are not available. In most cases,
extended families contribute towards the raising of chil-
dren, either on a seasonal basis or full-time.
Contrary to popular belief, there is a positive relation between
generations today according to attitudinal surveys. Research froma
2009 survey on 21 European countries shows that a large number
of people do not believe that the elderly generation is an encum-
brance to society. This positive response proves that there is little
intergenerational conflict, especially between youth and the older
generation. Nevertheless, a measure of intergenerational solidarity
presents a challenge although it appears to be positive.
Intergenerational solidarity in family life and society is an
important value as it enables a situation where generations view
each other in a progressive way, or where the said generations
have unanimity on moving ahead despite their differences. To
a certain extent, intergenerational solidarity can be viewed as a
mechanism for supporting mutually beneficial exchanges, both
monetary and non-monetary, between generations.
People often see these exchanges as being unidirectional
whereby the youth are the taxpayers for elders’ pension benefits
and health-care costs. Contrary to this belief, the exchanges
benefit both generations. The youth of today are enjoying the
fruits of what the older generation invested in, in terms of infra-
structure and investments in environmental protection.
In his study, Erik Erikson
2
describes how the final stage of
emotional development is experienced at approximately the
age of 60 and older. At this stage, people are looking to find
the significance of their lives and making sense of the way
they have lived. Connecting with younger generations can
help older adults feel a greater sense of fulfilment. The bond
between the generations can:
• help children to understand and later accept their own ageing
• give both the child and the older adult a sense of purpose
• invigorate and energize older adults
• reduce the isolation of older adults
• fill a void for children who do not have grandparents
• provide an opportunity for both to learn new skills
• help to alleviate fears children may have of the elderly
• help reduce the likelihood of depression in the elderly
• help keep family stories and history alive.
Values and perceptions of how the world operates among
people born and raised in different eras can be somewhat
diverse. In turn, this could lead to complicated relationships
between the two generations – hence there is a need to find
a connection between them. There are many ways to accom-
plish this, but the most important one is assisting youth to
learn how to relate to older adults and vice versa. Research
shows that what matters most is the quality of the interaction
between youth and older adults.
Among the many challenges of intergenerational solidarity
is the geographic mobility among people nowadays, which
threatens the intergenerational social compact.
3
This had
led to younger and older generations becoming habitually
separated from one another. This segregation often results in
undesirable, improbable stereotypes between the two genera-
tions. The conflict clouds the fact that these two generations
in fact share areas of concern and that they are both subjected
to negative stereotyping.
Former WAY President Ole Lovig Simonsen chats with a young delegate
Image: WAY