Parent-Child Relationships at the Transition to Adulthood: A Comparison of Black, Hispanic, and White Immigrant and Native-Born Youth

Abstract

Parents play a key role in launching their children into adulthood. Differences in the resources they provide their children have implications for perpetuating patterns of family inequality. Using data on 6,962 young adults included in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, we examine differences in the support parents provide to young adult children by immigrant status and race/ethnicity and whether and how those differences are explained by parent resources and young adult resources and roles. Immigrant status and race/ethnicity are associated with patterns of support in complex ways. We find that racial/ethnic and immigrant disparities in perceptions of support, financial support, and receiving advice from parents about education or employment are explained by family socioeconomic resources. Group differences in whether young adults say they would turn to a parent for advice and coresidence persist after accounting for these factors, however. Young adult resources and roles also shape parental support of young adults in the transition to adulthood, but taking account of these characteristics does not explain immigrant and racial/ethnic group differences. Our findings highlight the need to consider both race/ethnicity and immigrant status to understand family relationships and sources of support.

The Age of Independence, Revisited: Parents and Interracial Union Formation Across the Life Course

“…Among twoparent families, high-quality relationships with mothers were associated with delayed sexual debut among boys (Manlove et al 2012). Maternal closeness may also vary by race, ethnicity, and gender, with greater perceived parental supportiveness among whites relative to minority groups (Hardie and Seltzer 2016) and closer mother-daughter relationships relative to mother-son relationships (Suitor and Pillemer 2006). Immigration status also factors in; first-generation immigrants reported greater parental supportiveness relative to second-generation Americans (Hardie and Seltzer 2016).…”

“…In 2000, approximately 23.2% of young adults aged 18-34 were living with a parent (U.S. Census Bureau 2018). Coresidence with parents also varies by race and ethnicity, with minority youth more likely to reside with parents than white young adults (Furstenberg 2010;Hardie and Seltzer 2016). Young adults remain in school for longer, and often the more advantaged receive parental assistance in paying for school (Furstenberg 2010).…”

“…Parental socialization and monitoring also vary widely by the gender of the child (Madsen 2008), with parents more lenient toward sons than daughters (Sassler, Ciambrone, and Benway 2008). Furthermore, young adults of the 2000s often report high levels of parentchild support (Hardie and Seltzer 2016).…”

When the Kids Live at Home: Coresidence, Parental Assets, and Economic Insecurity

“…In adddition, the amount and type of assistance provided differs across families (Schoeni & Ross, ). Parents with higher incomes and education provide more overall resources to their children, but coresidence is more common among low‐income and racial minority families who lack other resources to share (Fingerman et al, ; Hardie & Seltzer, ; Seltzer & Bianchi, ). Beyond the need to share resources, higher rates of coresidence among racial minority and immigrant families also stem from cultural preferences (Albertini & Kohli, 2013; Hardie & Seltzer, ; Kamo, ; Van Hook & Glick, ).…”

“…Inheritances in the form of financial and nonfinancial intergenerational transfers directly link economic positions across generations, providing the children of wealthier parents with an advantage over other families (Spilerman, ). Although much inequality exists in parents' ability to support children and transfer wealth, parents with the means to do so often make a series of planned wealth transfers to their adult children throughout the life course (Fingerman et al, ; Hardie & Seltzer, ; Seltzer & Bianchi, ). These parents might pay for higher education and provide gifts for certain life events, such as weddings and graduations, and down payments for new homes.…”