Social Integration of Older Men and Women across European Welfare States: Introducing the Social Integration Index in Comparative Aging Research

Social integration is a crucial factor for health and mortality in old age. However, despite the increasing scientific interest in socio-demographic change across aging populations, there is currently no instrument available for comparing social integration of older adults across Europe. In this study, we investigate the social integration of people aged 50 years and over based of an index established by Berkman and colleagues across welfare regimes and gender in Europe and provide first results focussing on family policy and gender roles. Using on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we conducted multivariate regression analysis to examine the interactions between gender and welfare regimes on social integration based on this index. Our findings suggest that women are less socially integrated than men, and that older adults in more 'familialistic' regimes tend to be less socially integrated. Moreover, welfare regimes are important for the gender gap in social integration. Women tend to be less socially integrated in family-oriented welfare regimes, presumably due to their role as primary caregivers, which can limit their opportunities for social activities outside of familial bonds. This study contributes by adapting the well-known Social Integration Index from Berkman and colleagues to the European context offering a wide spectrum of future research possibilities in cross-country comparative research. Our results highlight the importance of developing context-sensitive policies that promote social integration, particularly among women and older adults in family-oriented welfare regimes.