The Rise and Prominence of Skip-Generation Households in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Zachary Zimmer , Mount Saint Vincent University
Emily Treleaven, University of Michigan

Investigations into how household formations across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are changing rarely consider skip-generations. Yet, demographic, social and economic forces increasingly encourage this household type. We examine trends and changes in the probability of living in these household types from 1990 to 2017, comparing elders 60+ (N=1,100,766) and children <15 (N=5,374,982) across 49 countries using household roster data from 158 Demographic and Health Surveys. Analyses are in two stages. The first evaluates trends in proportion in skip-generation households across countries. The second uses mixed-effects modeling to assess whether, and the degree to which, country-level characteristics like AIDS mortality and labor force participation explain changes in the probability of living in skip-generation households. Results indicate extensive increases in skip-generation households in most LMICs. These are not entirely explained by the country-level characteristics in our models, suggesting other underlying reasons for the rise and prominence of skip-generation households across LMICs.

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 Presented in Session 9. Marriage, Family, Households, & Unions; Gender, Race, & Ethnicity