Socioeconomic statuses across generations and coresidence in China

The aim of this study is to investigate the influences of the socioeconomic status of both older parents and their children on coresidential living arrangements, hence the microlevel mechanism of the formation of coresidence, in order to trace the patterns of family change in China. Starting with the assumption that the extended family system is no longer a binding cultural ideal in China, this study formulates a new explanation that living arrangements between older parents and their adult children are influenced primarily by the economic resources of the two in that decisions on living arrangements reflect negotiations between the two generations, and economic benefits become the important factors in the decision-making process. Analyses of data from the 2010 wave of Chinese Family Panel Studies provide strong empirical support to the hypotheses derived from this conceptual framework. The results indicate that the more resources both parents and their adult children have, the less likely they will choose coresidence; conversely, the fewer the resources, the more likely they will choose coresidence. In addition, the analytical model is applicable to both rural and urban subsamples.