Sources of Housing Funding for Newlyweds: A Gender- and Class-Stratified Analysis of Intergenerational Giving

Abstract

This study attempted to capture the gender and intergenerational characteristics of housing funding in newlyweds. Seven out of 10 newlywed couples were found to receive parental support. The amount of parental support varied across families of different asset levels. This study divided the observed newlyweds into two groups: those with more than half their housing fund coming from their parents (dependent type), and those with less than 50 percent of their housing fund given by the parents (independent type). The younger the age at marriage, the more prone to single-income earning, and the higher the asset level, the greater the likelihood of belonging to the parental dependent type. This study also found that support from parents in all social strata centered mainly on the husband's parents. Women had lower incomes and were less likely to receive housing funding from their own parents. Women were often placed in a state of double dependence, a factor destabilizing their position in the marriage process.