The Rise and Prominence of Skip‐Generation Households in Lower‐ and Middle‐Income Countries

Investigations into changes in household formations across lower‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) rarely consider skip‐generation households. Yet, demographic, social, and economic forces increasingly encourage skip‐generation household formations. We examine trends and changes in the prevalence of skip‐generation households from 1990 to 2016, examining households, adults aged 60+, and children under 15, across 49 countries using household roster data from Demographic and Health Surveys. Analysis takes place in stages, first describing trends in skip‐generation households across countries and next providing explanatory analyses using multilevel modeling to assess whether, and the degree to which, country‐level characteristics like AIDS mortality and female labor force participation explain trends in the probability that a household is, or that an individual resides in, a skip‐generation household. Results indicate extensive increases in skip‐generation households in many LMICs, although there is also variation. The increases and variations are not well‐explained by the country‐level characteristics in our models, suggesting other underlying reasons for the rise and prominence of skip‐generation households across LMICs.