Social Sciences Lecture Series | Dr. Francisca Ortiz Ruiz › view all

Social support and care networks of older people in Chile

Dr. Francisca Ortiz Ruiz (Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile) on "Social support and care
networks of older people in Chile"

Abstract

This research seeks to understand older people's care and support networks in Santiago de Chile. This study aims to identify/describe older people's care (perceived) and support (experienced) networks, emphasizing gender and age inequalities. In addition, it will evaluate the relevance of the time elapsed in maintaining older people's care and support networks. This presentation will be drawn on fieldwork in a community centre between May and September 2022 in three different waves of interviews. Then, information was collected about the complete network inside the community centre; and their ego networks outside the institution. In this presentation, I will share the first exploration of this data divided into two main aspects. First is the theoretical and methodological approach to the care and social support concepts from a network perspective. Secondly, it will explore the care and support networks of older people. Finally, it will focus on the friendship networks of the participants, to evaluate how relevant is the changes through time during the waves collected.

About

Francisca Ortiz Ruiz is an assistant professor at the Centre for Economics and Social Policy, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile. She is also a researcher at the Millennium Institute for Care Research (MICARE) in Santiago, Chile. Her Ph.D. in Sociology was obtained at the University of Manchester, UK. She is part of the Women in Network Science (WiNS) network and founder and chair of the Early and Middle Career Researchers network. Francisca’s interests include mixed methods, relational sociology, social gerontology, care justice, and gender & science. Website: https://www.franciscaortizruiz.com