Financial Transfers to Husbands’ and Wives’ Elderly Mothers in Mexico: Do Couples Exhibit Preferential Treatment by Lineage?

Abstract

The aim of this study was to contrast the likelihood that a husband’s elderly mother receives financial assistance from a couple with that of a wife’s mother. Prior U.S.-based research has documented a strong bias toward transfers to wives’ parents.The authors aimed to extend this literature to Mexico, where financial help from adult children is a critical source of support for a rapidly aging population lacking institutional assistance. The authors’ approach to modeling competition between mothers accounted for the nature of their need.The results demonstrate that among mothers of similar financial need, a husband’s mother is twice as likely to receive financial assistance as a wife’s mother. In contrast, when faced with personal care needs, a wife’s mother is disproportionately favored. These results reflect gender differences in Mexican adult children’s responsibility for family members’ financial and physical well-being.The findings uncover new complexity in the patterns by which couples transfer money to parents of different lineage.