Three-Generation Family Households in Early Childhood: Comparisons between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

BACKGROUND

Shifting demographic trends in the United States (US) have resulted in increasing numbers of three-generation family households, where a child lives with a parent(s) and grandparent(s). Although similar demographic trends have been occurring in the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia, very little research has studied three-generation coresidence in these countries and no research has documented trends cross-nationally.

OBJECTIVE

We investigate differences in the rates of three-generation coresidence in early childhood cross-nationally.

METHOD

This study uses three longitudinal birth cohort studies: the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Birth Cohort for the US, the Millennium Cohort Study for the UK, and the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children - Birth Cohort to investigate cross-national differences three-generation coresidence in early childhood.

RESULTS

We find that nearly one quarter of US children live in a three-generation household during early childhood, compared with 8% of children in the UK and 11% in Australia. Although there are large differences in the frequency of coresidence cross-nationally, we find that similar demographic groups live in three-generation households across contexts. In general, younger, less educated, lower income and minority mothers are more likely to live in three-generation households in all three countries.