Abstract
Parental transfers of money and co-residence to young-adult children can serve as means of status reproduction. Yet, the relationship between inequality and social class gaps in these forms of parental support is understudied. I test the relationship between income inequality and socio-economic divides in parental support to children aged 22–35 in the United States (U.S.), a context where the economic dependence of young adults has increased over decades of high or rising inequality. I find that, as inequality increases, upper-class parents transfer greater amounts of money to their children, while lower-class parents are less likely to give money, give smaller amounts on average, and are more likely to co-reside. Since receiving financial support leads to more favourable labour and housing market outcomes than co-residence, rising U.S. inequality may hinder social mobility by shifting the socio-economic distribution of intergenerational transfers.
Speaker biography
Ginevra Floridi is a Lecturer in Sociology and Quantitative Methods at the University of Edinburgh. She is also affiliated with Nuffield College and the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on contextual influences on individual and family behaviours including intergenerational transfers, fertility, and the provision of care.
Learn more about Dr Ginevra Floridi.
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