@conference {11692, title = {On the Fence of a Family: Dynamics of Inter-generational Transfers in Stepfamilies}, booktitle = {Population Association of America Meeting}, year = {2021}, abstract = {The growing prevalence of family complexity in the United States calls into question the notion of family boundaries. Past research has shown weaker stepkin support consistently but has not explored the dynamics of exchanges. This paper studies how stepkin respond to each other{\textquoteright}s past signals of help in providing future interpersonal support, financial transfers, and contacts compared to biological kin to sheds light on stepkin{\textquoteright}s different motivations of support and relationship norms. I propose an {\textquotedblleft}on-the-fence{\textquotedblright} theory and three hypotheses suggesting dynamic stepkin relationships subject to their past interactions. Using data of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) from 1996 to 2014 and within-family fixed effects models, major hypotheses are confirmed. I find that despite the lower transfers among stepkin when no past signals of help are present (low-bar expectation hypothesis), stepkin respond to the other{\textquoteright}s signals with a larger increase of parents{\textquoteright} monetary transfers, contacts, and adult children{\textquoteright}s interpersonal support compared to biological kin (sensitivity response hypothesis), but not a larger increase in parent{\textquoteright}s expectation or parents{\textquoteright} grandchild care support (differential convergence hypothesis). Results also vary depending on specific step status (child-stepmother or child-stepfather). Overall, the study provides a picture of dynamic stepkin relationship and family boundary.}, keywords = {Adult children, intergenerational relationships, motivations of transfers, stepfamilies}, url = {https://submissions2.mirasmart.com/Verify/PAA2021/Submission/Temp/radwd4acozb.pdf}, author = {He, Jingying} }