Sibling Configuration and Coresidence of Married Couples with an Older Mother in Japan

In: International journal of Japanese sociology, Band 2, Heft 1, S. 1-16

Abstract

Abstract  This study aims to clarify the effects of sibling configuration on both current and prospective coresidence of married male household heads with their older mother or mother‐in‐law. Multinomial logit analysis is applied to the data from the 1985 national household survey conducted by the Institute of Population Problems in Tokyo. The analysis is restricted to those heads whose mother and mother‐in‐law are both aged 60 or older and who do not live or plan to live with both mothers.The results of multinomial logit analysis of current living arrangements show a positive effect of the head's eldest‐son status on coresidence with his mother and a positive effect of the wife's eldest‐daughter status (in the absence of brothers) on coresidence with her mother, which supports the Heir Priority Hypothesis. The positive effects of the wife having older brothers or older sisters on coresidence with the head's mother also supports this hypothesis. On the other hand, the negative effects of the head having younger brothers or younger sisters and the wife being the youngest child, as well as the positive effect of the wife being the oldest child, on coresidence with the head's mother seem to support the House Crowding Hypothesis.The results of multinomial logit analysis of plans for future living arrangements, controlling for the current living arrangements, also show a similar (positive) effect of the head's eldest‐son status on planned coresidence with his mother, supporting the Heir Priority Hypothesis. The reversed effect of the head having younger sisters on planned coresidence with his mother seems to be consistent with the Gender Role Crowding Hypothesis.