Co-Residence With Parents Among Married Couples and Transitions to Homeownership in Taiwan

Homeownership rates among older generations are particularly high in Taiwan, as are rates of co-residence with parents among younger adults. Extended residence in parents’ homes has long been central to early housing-careers but has reacquired salience as access to homeownership has faded following steep price increases. Indeed, in recent years, while numbers of co-residing young singles have remained relatively stable, incidence of younger married couples moving-in with parents has increased significantly. In this paper, we explore emerging intergenerational housing practices, focusing on contemporary interactions between housing-market conditions, family-support, and desires for independence among young married people co-residing with parents. Drawing upon 29 qualitative interviews with younger married women living with their in-laws, we explore how parental housing support and co-residence shape kinship relations, life-courses, and housing pathways. Our analysis indicates important links between family dynamics, filial norms, and housing practices, as well as how intergenerational transfers structure alternative pathways toward homeownership.