TY - JOUR
T1 - Intergenerational family relations in adulthood
T2 - Patterns, variations, and implications in the contemporary United States
AU - Swartz, Teresa Toguchi
PY - 2009/12/1
Y1 - 2009/12/1
N2 - Recent research suggests that intergenerational relationsthe relationships between adult children and their parents in particularare becoming increasingly important to Americans. Two main social forces appear to be driving these changes: marital instability and broader demographic shifts. Intergenerational relationships involve both affective ties and more instrumental forms of support such as financial resources or child care. Although actual material assistance tends to be episodic and primarily responsive to specific needs, these relationships appear to be durable and flexible and often fill in when marriage or other emotional attachments deteriorate. As such, intergenerational family relations may reflect adaptations to contemporary, postmodern economic and cultural conditions. Variations in these general patterns and dynamics are also exhibited, the most striking of which are those involving race and class. These variations are driven largely by social structure and position and suggest that intergenerational relations constitute an important and largely hidden aspect of how families contribute to the reproduction of social inequality in society. These findings reinforce the value of extending both scholarly and cultural notions of family beyond the traditional nuclear family model.
AB - Recent research suggests that intergenerational relationsthe relationships between adult children and their parents in particularare becoming increasingly important to Americans. Two main social forces appear to be driving these changes: marital instability and broader demographic shifts. Intergenerational relationships involve both affective ties and more instrumental forms of support such as financial resources or child care. Although actual material assistance tends to be episodic and primarily responsive to specific needs, these relationships appear to be durable and flexible and often fill in when marriage or other emotional attachments deteriorate. As such, intergenerational family relations may reflect adaptations to contemporary, postmodern economic and cultural conditions. Variations in these general patterns and dynamics are also exhibited, the most striking of which are those involving race and class. These variations are driven largely by social structure and position and suggest that intergenerational relations constitute an important and largely hidden aspect of how families contribute to the reproduction of social inequality in society. These findings reinforce the value of extending both scholarly and cultural notions of family beyond the traditional nuclear family model.
KW - Kin networks
KW - Parentadult child relationships
KW - Social support and exchange
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=73149116863&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=73149116863&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1146/annurev.soc.34.040507.134615
DO - 10.1146/annurev.soc.34.040507.134615
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:73149116863
SN - 0360-0572
VL - 35
SP - 191
EP - 212
JO - Annual Review of Sociology
JF - Annual Review of Sociology
ER -