Gendered Living Arrangements Among Children with Disabilities: Evidence from the 2000 Census

Previous research shows that mothers are largely responsible for the care of children with disabilities in married couples. But many children with disabilities do not live with married couples. Using data on disabilities from the 2000 Census, we find a consistent pattern of living arrangements that leaves children with disabilities disproportionately under the roofs of their mothers or other women. Children with disabilities are more likely to live with single parents, and especially their mothers, than are other children. Further, those who do not live with either parent are more likely to live in households headed by women than are other children. We argue that gendered living arrangements among children with disabilities are a neglected aspect of inequality in caring labor, which is an underpinning of gender inequality in general.