Family Structure, Housing and Child Health

Why is it that children who live with a single mother two cohabiting parents have poorer heath and developmental outcomes than children who live with two biological parents? Differential access to high quality and stable housing circumstances by family structure may be one important factor, especially in countries like the United States where housing costs are high and housing assistance is limited. Because family structure is strongly linked to income, married, two parent families are in a better position to be able to afford appropriate housing. Dissolution, more likely amongst unmarried parents, is likely to be linked to housing instability and moves into lower quality or public housing projects, both of which have been shown to be negatively associated with child outcomes. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this paper aims to identify whether and how housing and family circumstances are inter-related in the production of child health. Preliminary findings suggest strong links between family structure and housing tenure. For childhood asthma, housing tenure appears to be an important explanatory pathway, and children of social housing tenants appear particularly at risk.