Multigenerational households in a contemporary perspective

The multigenerational household is often considered a remnant of the past linked with a rural mode of life. Contemporary data from the United States and Canada show that the elderly are living with one of their children in far greater numbers than the stereotypes would allow. Given these data, multigenerational households should be explained in contemporary terms in reference to the normative and structural factors that determine the life cycle of the contemporary family. Using Canadian Census data on the elderly of the Province of Quebec, it is shown here that the frequency of multigenerational households does not vary with the rural or urban location of the elderly. Rather, age and sex of the elderly and homeownership by their children are among the factors that explain family living arrangements. It is concluded that multigenerational households can be realistically considered as a resource available to frail elderly.