ABSTRACT
The primary focus of this book is upon the social context within which both individuals and populations experience ageing. Perhaps the most influential and important of the social domains which shape the experience of ageing is that of family and wider social relationships. Over the lifecourse individuals belong to a variety of kinship and social groups, all of which bring interactions and relationships with family, friends and neighbours. They also provide us with many of our major social roles such as parent, child and spouse. The extent to which an older person is enmeshed within a social network of kin, friends and neighbours will greatly influence her/his experience of ageing. The availability of, and quality of, family and wider social relationships are very important factors in the quality of life experienced by older people and provide a major resource with which to negotiate the challenges which ageing and later life can pose. In this chapter we examine the extent to which older people are enmeshed within a network of kin and wider social relationships. This reflects the thesis of Phillipson et al. (2001) that the experience of growing older is not shaped solely by family and kinship groups but also encompasses wider social relationships such as friends and neighbours and other social activities and the proposal of Rowe and Kahn (1997) that social engagement is a prerequisite for `successful ageing'. While we may not all accept the postulates of the successful ageing hypothesis, it is clear that engagement with the social context and social engagement generally is an important facet of quality of life in old age.
