Abstract
The main goal of this paper is to determine whether there is a significant difference between Czech elderly people with children and those without in terms of the social support networks in old age. Using SHARE data, I investigate differences in parental status and in home-based personal care or practical help, whether there is any variation in how frequently help is provided, and differences in who provides the assistance to the two groups.
I also look at differences in the social networks of those with and without children. The results show that the likelihood of whether an elderly person received external personal care or practical help in the home did not vary according to parental status, although there was a significant difference in how frequently the help was provided to parents and nonparents and in the number of individuals providing that assistance.
Important factors that affect the likelihood of an individual receiving assistance were respondent age, health, gender, education and marital status. Parents receive assistance more frequently than nonparents, and they also have more carers.
This is mainly because parents generally received external personal care or practical help in the home from their children while for nonparents this role was fulfilled by neighbours, siblings or nieces and nephews, whose 'care accounts' tend to run empty sooner than children's ones.