Families, Multigenerational

Definitions of Multigenerational Families

Genealogically, a generation is a set of family members who are at the same stage of descent from a common ancestor. For example, grandparents, parents, and grandchildren represent three generations. The term multigenerational refers to two or [Page 445]more generations, such as the three just listed. Although the generations within a family often have distinct age ranges, the timing of marriage, remarriage, and fertility may produce generations with overlapping ages.

Family is a term with varied meanings, both popular and scholarly. These range from very specific definitions, such as that of the U.S. Bureau of the Census—two or more persons related by blood, marriage, or adoption who share a household—to more general definitions, such as two or more people who have long-term commitments to one another.

From the broadest perspective, all families are multi generational. Two generations of parents and children share many households. Most households also keep ties with additional earlier and later generations that live elsewhere. This entry considers the multigenerational family as a shared residential situation that extends beyond parent-child, with the most typical being grandparent-parent-child. Examples of policy and practice further focus primarily on the multigenerational family formed when a young mother and her child coreside with the child's maternal grandmother. Multigenerational families are clearly relevant to additional areas of policy and practice, such as the balance between societal and familial roles in caring for the elderly.

The Prevalence of Multigenerational Families in the United States

New research has repeatedly revised our answer to the question of whether multigenerational families were more prevalent in the past than today. Likewise, the interplay of contemporary demographic changes is complex. The simplest argument with general agreement is that declining mortality has led to more people today having living relatives from multiple generations. Still, recent empirical work has dispelled the notion of families having surviving members spanning five or six generations and has suggested that the parent-child relationship is stronger than ties to more distant generations. As Uhlenberg (1995) summarizes, “No doubt the average lineage depth has increased as more people have survived to older ages, but empirical evidence helps us to avoid overemphasizing structures that are rare (the five-generation family)” (p. 20).

According to the 2000 census, 4% of households in the United States are multigenerational. Of these, nearly two thirds are headed by the oldest generation, with the householder providing a home for his or her child(ren) and grandchild(ren). One third are headed by the middle generation, with the householder providing a home for his or her parent(s) and child(ren). Just 2% contain the four generations of parent-householder child-grandchild (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2003).

When and why do Multigenerational Families Form?

Demographic, economic, and social factors influence the prevalence of multigenerational families. Viewed from a life cycle perspective, multigenerational families are likely at early and late stages. Parents of young children may coreside with their own parents, receiving help with the transition to parenthood, child care assistance, and reduced housing costs. This is particularly true among young, never married, and divorced mothers. Grandparents may coreside with their children and grandchildren as declining health, depleted assets, and loss of a spouse limit their independent living. Events at any life cycle stage migration, such as death of a family member, divorce, job loss, or a disabling accident, may also prompt coresidence. External factors, such as housing shortages and housing costs, can also encourage multiple generations to “double up” in shared housing.

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