Family networks and material inheritances: passing on the testimony

Abstract

This study aims to deepen the knowledge about the process of material inheritance transmission in later life families, by studying the profiles of transmission of material legacy (what is transmitted, to whom, when and how?), the dynamics of support between donors and heirs and their influence on family satisfaction. Main results suggest that material inheritance is a normative process in later life families, involving the reorganization of the management of families’ material property and its transmission (passing on financial testimony).