Ethnicity and the new family economy: Synthesis and research challenges

The broader context of the research studies presented is the shift away from family centrality and tribal-ethnic-particularistic attachments in the transition to modern society. The most important demographic constraint shaping choices about living arrangements is "availability". Beyond demographic and life cycle constraints are the economic factors that facilitate nonfamily living throughout the family life course. Demographic, economic, and preference differences in the contexts result in a somewhat different configuration of living arrangements, but the underlying processes appear similar. To some extent, ethnic or taste differences can be link to immigration and thus to differential exposure to modern family values. This allows us to use ethnicity as a window on a more traditional past. Ethnic differences in living arrangements appear to reflect traditional values associated with family continuity. But they also should be the result of differential social structures, based on the institutions and associations that develop in ethnic communities.