Personal networks and sacred texts: Social aging in Delhi, India.

Social aging of residents of a middle-class neighborhood of Delhi, India is examined from a personal network perspective. The analysis reported here addresses the size and composition of personal networks of a random sample of men and women 55 years and older. Analysis of the entire sample indicates no age related reduction in network size among people 74 years and below. Among older persons in age strata 75 years old and above there is a substantial reduction in network size. In addition to being influenced by a person's age, network size is also influenced by gender, health status, and household resource control but not by the material style of life of the household and household type. The results of this analysis are interpreted in terms of Hindu sacred texts that describe the ideal life course and comparison with related studies from India and the United States.