Repository logo
 

Who supports whom? Do adult children living at home share their incomes with their parents?

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

No Thumbnail Available

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Iacovou, Maria 
Davia, Maria A 

Abstract

Across the developed world, young adults are now more likely to live with their parents than they were two or three decades ago. This is typically viewed, both in the media and in scholarly research, as an economic burden on parents. This article investigates, for the first time, the extent to which financial support is also given in the opposite direction, with young people contributing to their households' living costs. We use data on 19 European countries from the 2010 European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (N = 553 in Austria to N = 2777 in Italy). Many young adults do share their incomes with their families, with the degree of sharing being the highest among the poorest households. In a substantial minority of households, particularly in lower-income countries, the contributions of young adult household members keep households out of poverty.

Description

Keywords

EU-SILC, Europe, Family, Income sharing, Intergenerational relationships, Youth

Journal Title

Adv Life Course Res

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1569-4909
1879-6974

Volume Title

40

Publisher

Elsevier BV
Sponsorship
ESRC RES-062-23-1455: Life Chances and Living Standards across Europe)