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The Prevalence and Economic Value of Doubling Up

Author

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  • Natasha Pilkauskas
  • Irwin Garfinkel
  • Sara McLanahan

Abstract

“Doubling up” (living with relatives or nonkin) is a common source of support for low-income families, yet no study to date has estimated its economic value relative to other types of public and private support. Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we examine the prevalence and economic value of doubling up among families with young children living in large American cities. We find that doubling up is a very important part of the private safety net in the first few years of a child’s life, with nearly 50 % of mothers reporting at least one instance of doubling up by the time their child is 9 years old. The estimated rental savings from doubling up is significant and comparable in magnitude to other public and private transfers. Copyright Population Association of America 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Natasha Pilkauskas & Irwin Garfinkel & Sara McLanahan, 2014. "The Prevalence and Economic Value of Doubling Up," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(5), pages 1667-1676, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:51:y:2014:i:5:p:1667-1676
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-014-0327-4
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Christian King, 2018. "Food insecurity and housing instability in vulnerable families," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 255-273, June.
    2. Gold, Sarah & Wagner, Brandon, 2022. "Acute care utilization and housing hardships in American children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    3. R. Kelly Raley & Inbar Weiss & Robert Reynolds & Shannon E. Cavanagh, 2019. "Estimating Children’s Household Instability Between Birth and Age 18 Using Longitudinal Household Roster Data," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(5), pages 1957-1973, October.
    4. Gold, Sarah, 2020. "Is housing hardship associated with increased adolescent delinquent behaviors?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    5. Angela Bruns, 2015. "Stability and Change: Income Packaging among Partners of Incarcerated Men," Working Papers wp15-04-ff, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    6. Natasha Pilkauskas & Katherine Michelmore, 2019. "The Effect of the Earned Income Tax Credit on Housing and Living Arrangements," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(4), pages 1303-1326, August.
    7. William N. Evans & David C. Philips & Krista J. Ruffini, 2019. "Reducing and Preventing Homelessness: A Review of the Evidence and Charting a Research Agenda," NBER Working Papers 26232, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Harkness, Susan, 2022. "The accumulation of disadvantage: how motherhood and relationship breakdown influence married and single mothers’ economic outcomes," ISER Working Paper Series 2022-03, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    9. Michelle Maroto & Laura Aylsworth, 2017. "Assessing the Relationship Between Gender, Household Structure, and Net Worth in the United States," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 38(4), pages 556-571, December.
    10. Esther O. Lamidi, 2019. "Household composition and experiences of food insecurity in Nigeria: the role of social capital, education, and time use," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(1), pages 201-218, February.
    11. Carolina Aragao & Aida Villanueva, 2021. "How do mothers work? Kin coresidence and mothers' work in Latin America," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 45(30), pages 917-956.
    12. Natasha V. Pilkauskas & Christina Cross, 2018. "Beyond the Nuclear Family: Trends in Children Living in Shared Households," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(6), pages 2283-2297, December.
    13. Swope, Carolyn B. & Hernández, Diana, 2019. "Housing as a determinant of health equity: A conceptual model," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    14. David Rothwell & Annie McEwen, 2018. "Child Poverty and Family Structure during the Recession in English-Speaking Liberal Welfare States," LIS Working papers 665, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    15. O'Donnell, James & Kingsley, Meg, 2020. "The relationship between housing and children’s socio-emotional and behavioral development in Australia," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    16. Colleen Wynn & Lauren McClain, 2015. "Not Quite Out On The Streets: Housing Tenure Among Low-Income Urban Fathers," Working Papers wp13-17-ff, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    17. Michelle Maroto, 2019. "Sharing or Limiting the Wealth? Coresidence, Parental Support, and Wealth Outcomes in Canada," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 102-116, March.
    18. Ian Lundberg, 2020. "Does Opportunity Skip Generations? Reassessing Evidence From Sibling and Cousin Correlations," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(4), pages 1193-1213, August.
    19. William N. Evans & David C. Phillips & Krista Ruffini, 2021. "Policies To Reduce And Prevent Homelessness: What We Know And Gaps In The Research," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(3), pages 914-963, June.
    20. Natasha Pilkauskas & Katherine Michelmore, 2017. "Does the Earned Income Tax Credit Reduce Housing Instability?," Working Papers wp18-01-ff, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    21. Hope Harvey, 2020. "Cumulative Effects of Doubling Up in Childhood on Young Adult Outcomes," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(2), pages 501-528, April.

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