Ageing Populations

Intergenerational coresidence in developing countries
Living with the in-laws still commonplace in developing countries Authors: S. Ruggles; M. Heggeness Publisher: Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, 2008

Is coresidence of elderly people with their children really on the decline in most developing countries, as much research suggests? This analysis uses new data and measures to assess changes in intergenerational coresidence in 15 developing countries.
Contrary to expectations, the authors find no general decline in intergenerational coresidence over the past several decades. There have been, however, significant changes in the configuration of intergenerational coresidence:
families in which the older generation is household head - a configuration consistent with traditional patriarchal forms in which the older generation retains authority - are becoming more common in most of the countries
intergenerational families headed by the younger generation - the configuration one would expect if intergenerational coresidence were motivated by a need for old-age support - are on the decline in most of the countries Why is elder-head intergenerational coresidence increasing in developing countries, and why is it strongly associated with economic growth? The authors highlight the following factors:
a housing shortage -even when elders can no longer provide the prospect of agricultural inheritance, they often can offer a place to live. In many developing countries, there appears to be a significant positive relationship between intergenerational coresidence and the proportion of the population living in an urban area
with rising female labour-force participation in many countries, the demand for services that can be provided by elders - such as grandchild care and housework - may be on the rise in some areas. Some developing countries have seen unstable or declining employment prospects for youth despite significant economic growth, and some have introduced pension programs for the aged; both of these factors may encourage the younger generation to remain in their parental homes after reaching adulthood
rising incomes - especially among the older generation - have allowed more people to achieve their preferred family structure. If the older generation lacks sufficient land to support the next generation, it may be impossible for the younger generation to stay in the household. The strong positive association between economic development and intergenerational coresidence therefore makes some sense: with rising incomes, more people may be able to achieve their preferred family formThis report's interpretation suggests that the ideal family form may not have changed greatly but that economic growth has increased the opportunities for intergenerational coresidence. This does not mean, however, that family values are indelible; there have been dramatic declines in coresidence in every Western country, and there is strong evidence of a similar change in the most developed countries of East Asia. The positive relationship found between coresidence and development may eventually reverse, as yet, however, there is little sign that this is happening.
http://www.pop.umn.edu/research/mpc-working-papers-series/2008-working-papers-pdfs/Working%20Paper%202008-01.pdf