Co-residence of mid-life children with their elderly parents in England and Wales: Changes between 1981 and 1991

It is known that there have been large declines in the proportion of elderl y people living in intergenerational households. Much less is known about t rends in the proportion of adult children living with elderly parents. Here I show a large decline between 1981 and 1991 in the proportion of mid-life adults living with an elderly parent or parent-in-law in England and Wales . Declines in co-residence were higher among more advantaged groups so that the characteristics of intergenerational households were less favourable i n 1991 than in 1981. Analysis of another data set, including information on the survival of parents, showed that associations between co-variates and co-residence are similar in models applied to all mid-life adults and only to those with a living parent. These changes suggest a continuing trend tow ards residential independence as a preferred option, with those unable to a ttain or maintain this coming to represent a more disadvantaged group.