A Blessing or A Curse? Intergeneration Coresidence and Risk of Divorce in China and the U.S.

• In Event: 3523 - Family Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 min): Table 3: Divorce/Relationship Dissolution

Abstract

In this research, we examine how divorce risks vary by three types of household living structure: a married couple living independently as a nuclear family, a married couple co-residing with the wife’s parents, and a married couple co-residing with the husband’s parents. We consider two cultural contexts, China and the United States. Both societies are experiencing longer life expectancies with an aging population, and intergenerational relationships are of growing scholarly importance family members have more years of life to share together. Moreover, although the two nations have different histories and norms regarding intergenerational co-residence and governing gendered in-law relationships. Understanding how divorce risks are related to different types of living arrangements provides a unique opportunity to think about the complexities of married life and gender relations among extended family members in changing societies.

Authors

• Ya Su, Dickinson College

• Elizabeth Aura McClintock, University of Notre Dame