More American children now live in multigenerational households than during agrarian times in the late 19th century, according to Natasha Pilkauskas, a professor at the University of Michigan. She said the increase is likely driven by a lack of affordable housing, childcare and eldercare, and the increase in single parents, as opposed to an emotional drive to live as one big, happy family.
Pilkauskas found that any time the government has offered a major economic benefit, like the roll-out of Social Security in the 1930s or the Earned Income Tax Credit in the 1970s, people tend to move out of multigenerational homes.
"Families come together when they need to, and they are the first line of defense, typically for everybody," she said. "I'm worried people don't really love these living arrangements, and I can imagine why pretty easily."
