Living Arrangements and Conditions of Older People in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This research uses data from the 1994-1995 Zimbabwe Aging Survey complemented by the 1999 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey to examine living arrangements and conditions of older people in Zimbabwe. Living arrangements in Zimbabwe are similar to those found in other sub-Saharan African countries. Older people are likely to be living with other kin and in a variety of arrangements involving family members. To determine gender preference for co-resident with children and other kin, we adjust living arrangement patterns for sex, dominant proportion of living children and marital status. Data show that older people with living adult children are more likely to co-reside with kin. However, older people with a dominant proportion of married children are significantly (p<0.01) less likely to co-reside with married children. Furthermore, households headed by older women are significantly (p<0.001) less likely to co-reside with kin.