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Abstract Background Literature started to describe proximity to kin over the life course, concentrating on general patterns. Little is known about kin proximity during childhood and how this varies with family structure. Objective We provide estimates on kinship structures and proximity to kin for children living with both parents, with only one parent (distinguishing whether the other parent is deceased, never registered, and in case of being alive, where the other parent lives (in the country vs. abroad)) or with no parent. Following two birth cohorts over childhood, we evaluate changes over the children’s life course and across time. Methods Data come from Belgian register-based data (DEMOBEL). We rely on information over household configuration, intergenerational links and place of residence of children born in 1992 and 2003, at age 8 and 16. We estimate the percentage of children having at least one relative (great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, (half-)siblings) that are alive, living in the same household or living close and the average number of kin, by type of family structure and children’s age. Results Children living with both parents lived more often close to at least one grandparent and aunt/uncle than children living with only one parent. This gap is greater at age 16 than at age 8, but it is smaller for children born in 2003 compared to 1992. Contribution The life course of children has diversified in recent decades. Documenting how kinship structures differ for children living in different family structures enables to better understand inequalities in the possibilities of informal support.
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Schnor, C., Damiens, J. J., Fadel, L., Rees, A., & Zilincikova, Z. (2022). Family structure and proximity to kin during childhood (Démographie et Sociétés 32).