Studied the succession of roles adopted from generation to generation as patterned in relation to the family life course, changes in health and dependency of various generations and factors such as family size, birth order, and sex. Proposes a conceptual framework for an analysis of aging and the family. (Author)

Family headship has not been systematically investigated in the sociology of the family, yet "head of the family" is a meaningful phrase to most people. A survey of adults (N=464) in Ontario revealed that only two percent of the respondents did not understand the term. Other data showed that traditional male-dominated authority patterns…