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“I'll Give You the World”: Socioeconomic Differences in Parental Support of Adult Children
Author(s) -
Fingerman Karen L.,
Kim Kyungmin,
Davis Eden M.,
Furstenberg Frank F.,
Birditt Kira S.,
Zarit Steven H.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of marriage and family
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.578
H-Index - 159
eISSN - 1741-3737
pISSN - 0022-2445
DOI - 10.1111/jomf.12204
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , psychology , emotional support , demography , developmental psychology , family income , social support , family support , medicine , social psychology , population , sociology , physical therapy , economics , economic growth
Research has shown that parents with higher socioeconomic status provide more resources to their children during childhood and adolescence. The authors asked whether similar effects associated with parental socioeconomic position are extended to adult children. Middle‐aged parents ( N = 633) from the Family Exchanges Study reported support they provided to their grown children and coresidence with grown children ( N = 1,384). Parents with higher income provided more emotional and material support to the average children. Grown children of parents with less education were more likely to coreside with them. Parental resources (e.g., being married) and demands (e.g., family size) explained these patterns. Of interest is that lower income parents provided more total support to all children (except total financial support). Lower income families may experience a double jeopardy; each grown child receives less support on average, but parents exert greater efforts providing more total support to all their children.