Insee Première · March 2021 · n° 1841

In 2020, 12% of children with separated parents lived in shared residency

In France, in 2020, 480,000 children under 18 lived in shared residency, spending equal time with each parent. More than one child out of ten with separated parents lived in shared residency; this proportion increased steadily until the child was 10 years old. At the mother's home, 73% of children in shared residency lived in a single-parent family and 27% in a blended family, respectively 71% and 29% at the father's home.

Compared to other parents, the parents of children living in shared residency were more highly qualified and were more often managers and higher intellectual professionals, or had a middle-level occupation. The employment rate of the mothers of these children (89%) was close to that of fathers (92%), and much higher than that of mothers living in a “traditional” family (77%). However, compared to fathers, mothers of children in shared residency were four times more likely to work part-time (19% compared to 5%). Furthermore, fathers were more often homeowners than mothers, and their homes were larger.

Shared residency was more widespread in the Western part of mainland France and in the South of France, particularly in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Most often, shared residency is more frequent in peri-urban areas, where the standard of living for children and the activity rate of mothers are both high. Conversely, over-occupation of housing seems to be an obstacle for shared residency.