Citation

Lawson Clark S, Burton LM, Flippen CA. J. Fam. Issues 2011; 32(3): 369-393.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0192513X10379712

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Using longitudinal ethnographic data from the Three-City Study, the authors examined the relationship between 16 low-income Puerto Rican mothers’ housing dependencies and their intimate partner relations. This study traced mothers’ dependent housing arrangements and entrée to marital or cohabiting relationships from their teens through their procurement of independent housing while entering and maintaining intimate partner unions as adults. Findings indicated that various trigger factors led women out of their natal homes and into expedited cohabitation with romantic partners, which frequently resulted in unstable unions in which mothers had little power and autonomy. As mothers became eligible for housing subsidies they obtained housing independent from their male partners, potentially increasing the propensity for greater relationship power. Housing independence, however, was not without problems. Spillover effects, such as shadowing partners, threatened housing stability, and mothers’ independence. The relevance of these findings for future research is discussed.