Gender and Family Financial Support in the Transition to Adulthood1

Abstract

This study examines gender differences in the financial support young adults receive from their families and in the associations between adult role occupancy and financial assistance. Drawing on data from the Transition to Adulthood Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics between 2005 and 2015, this study analyzes patterns of receiving any family financial support among 17–27 year olds and explores the types of expenses for which young adults receive assistance (e.g., tuition). Findings indicate that young women are more likely to receive familial financial assistance in the young adult years, especially for tuition, and that associations between adult social role occupancy and assistance involve both similarities and differences for young men and women. Key differences include that young women are substantially less likely to receive assistance in the form of personal loans from family, and that their partnering and parenting roles are associated with assistance with rent or a mortgage in opposing ways compared to young men's. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the ways family relationships and young adult pathways to independence are gendered.