Traditionality, Modernity, and Household Composition: Parent-Child Coresidence in Contemporary Turkey

This article investigates the patterns and correlates of currently married adult children’s coresidence with their parents in Turkey using data from the 1993 Turkish Demographic and Health Survey. The authors are particularly interested in traditional patterns of coresidence (i.e., coresidence with one or both of the husband’s parents) and the effect of variables measuring traditionality at the individual and contextual levels on coresidence with any parent and with the husband’s parents. The results indicate that coresidence among currently married children is not the norm. However, the odds of coresidence with the husband’s parents, given that a couple coresides with any parent, are very high. In addition, the authors find substantial effects of traditionality measures on coresidence, especially with the husband’s parents. Continued economic development, and the social changes that accompany it, can be expected to reduce the prevalence of parent-child coresidence in Turkey.