Young women's living arrangements in Mexico

This study examines diversity in the living arrangement trajectories of young Mexican women, focusing on social stratification and its change across cohorts. While previous research has documented isolated events in the transition to adulthood (e.g., union formation, childbearing), less is known abo...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Trias Prats, Rita|||0000-0003-2125-6497, Floridi, Ginevra|||0000-0003-1417-2631, Esteve, Albert|||0000-0001-9916-386X
Format: article
Publication Date:2026
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repository:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:uabarcelona_::ec9805ad46dad6cc1d02921d8020fe8a
Online Access:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/328490
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1016/j.alcr.2026.100743
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Young adults
Living arrangements
SES
Co-residence
Cohort
Latin America
Description
Summary:This study examines diversity in the living arrangement trajectories of young Mexican women, focusing on social stratification and its change across cohorts. While previous research has documented isolated events in the transition to adulthood (e.g., union formation, childbearing), less is known about how these shape young women's living arrangements in a Latin American context. Using data from the Encuesta Demográfica Retrospectiva (EDER), we apply sequence analysis to summarizing women's living arrangement trajectories at ages 18-30 across cohorts born between 1962-1987 (N = 9341). We assess stratification by family socioeconomic status (SES) by examining how trajectories vary by parental education. Results reveal substantial heterogeneity in living arrangement trajectories, particularly in early vs. late family formation, single motherhood, and household context. Parents' SES consistently predicts trajectory types: women from lower-SES families are more likely to experience early family formation, single motherhood, and extended family co-residence, while women from higher-SES families experience both delayed and early family transitions, including single motherhood in extended households. Cohort trends indicate persistent stratification in living arrangement trajectories over time by family background, with potential negative implications for the reproduction of social inequalities. We discuss family and household trajectories in a Latin American country, highlighting key differences from Global North contexts on which previous research has focused.