The housing trajectories of Canadian-born racialized population groups

For many Canadian households, the home is the primary asset and means of wealth accumulation. This study analyzes the trajectories of homeownership and co-residence with parents among Canadian-born racialized population groups born from the early 1970s to the early 1990s, using data from the six most recent Canadian censuses. The findings indicate that disparities in homeownership among these groups persisted throughout the lifetime. Depending on the birth cohort and age group, the rate of living in an owned home was higher for South Asians and Chinese (5 to 24 percentage points) and lower for Blacks and Latin Americans (3 to 19 percentage points) when compared with White Canadians. At younger ages, these disparities were primarily due to differences in co-residence with parents and parental homeownership. Across racialized groups in their 20s, the highest rates of co-residence with parents were observed among South Asians (86% to 91%), Chinese (79% to 84%), and Filipinos (82% to 85%). Black and Latin American youth were more likely to leave their parental home earlier and were least likely to own their own homes when starting their households. The results suggest that access to parental housing resources in early adulthood has long-term implications for housing inequality.