Socioeconomic differences in parental financial support, coresidence, and advice: A portrait of undergraduate students in the Canadian Prairies

• Published in: The Canadian review of sociology 2023-08, Vol.60 (3), p.479-501
• Main Authors: Mazurik, Kathrina, Williamson, Linzi, Knudson, Sarah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Canada; Capital; College students; Coresidence; Domestic relations; Economic aspects; Families & family life; Family support; Financial Support; Grassland; Higher education; Housing; Humans; Life transitions; Parenthood education; Parenting; Parents; Parents & parenting; Prairies; Social aspects; Social inequality; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic status; Students; Undergraduate students
• ISSN: 1755-6171; 1755-618X
• DOI: 10.1111/cars.12436

In this paper, we examine the intersections of parental support and family socioeconomic background within an undergraduate sample (N = 596) in a mid‐sized Canadian Prairie city. Coresidence, financial support, and parental and professional financial advice are examined as types of ‘family capital’ that may be distributed unequally across socioeconomic groups. In keeping with previous literature, findings showed that students whose parents had university education and higher incomes received more robust coverage of their housing and school expenses. Students whose parents were university‐educated were also more likely to be living with a parent, though no relationship was found between parental income and coresidence. Contrasting with previous literature, few relationships were found between socioeconomic background and receipt or influence of financial advice. These results contribute to the literature by generalising claims about family capital to a Canadian student sample, where relatively few studies have empirically examined intergenerational transfers as mechanisms for transmitting privilege during the transition to adulthood. With increasing demands for higher education and simultaneous declines in government subsidisation of its costs, disparate access to family capital is likely to intensify the reproduction of social inequality across generations. RÉSUMÉ Dans cet article, nous examinons les intersections entre le soutien parental et les antécédents socioéconomiques de la famille au sein d'un échantillon d'étudiants de premier cycle (N = 596) dans une ville canadienne de taille moyenne des Prairies. La coresidence, le soutien financier et les conseils financiers parentaux et professionnels sont examinés en tant que types de ‘ capital familial ’ susceptibles d'être répartis de manière inégale entre les groupes socioéconomiques. Conformément à la littérature antérieure, les résultats ont montré que les étudiants dont les parents ont fait des études universitaires et ont des revenus plus élevés bénéficient d'une couverture plus solide de leurs frais de logement et de scolarité. Les étudiants dont les parents ont fait des études universitaires sont également plus susceptibles de vivre avec un parent, bien qu'aucune relation n'ait été établie entre le revenu des parents et la coresidence. Contrairement à la littérature précédente, peu de liens ont été établis entre le milieu socio‐économique et l'obtention ou l'influence des conseils financiers. Ces ré