Showing papers on "Grandparent published in 2017"
TL;DR: This manuscript updates the literature over the last decade in addressing several new content areas that have emerged in the grandfamilies literature, along with issues that are still important to understanding grandparents raising their grandchildren today.
Abstract: Background and objectives In this manuscript, we update the literature over the last decade in addressing several new content areas that have emerged in the grandfamilies literature, along with issues that are still important to understanding grandparents raising their grandchildren today. Research design and methods The social science and gerontological literature since 2004 was accessed, reviewed, organized topically, and integrated, based upon an exhaustive PsychINFO literature search. Results Our review indicates an ongoing and/or growing emphasis on (a) the strengths of grandparent raising grandchildren, (b) diversity among grandfamilies along a number of parameters, (c) the social-interpersonal, cultural, and policy-related contexts of grandfamilies, (d) process-focused research, (e) parenting, parenting skills, and family relationships, (f) grandparent psychological distress, (g) targets for and the efficacy of interventions with grandfamilies, and (h) methodological issues relevant to the study of grandfamilies. Implications We discuss the implications of our findings in terms of more completely understanding grandfamilies along a number of parameters, as well as presenting specific recommendations for future research and practice.
154 citations
TL;DR: It is posit that the estimates of the long-term consequences of wealth inequality may be conservative for nations other than Sweden, like the United States, where family wealth—in addition to its insurance and normative functions—allows the direct purchase of educational quality and access.
Abstract: We study the role of family wealth for children's educational achievement using novel and unique Swedish register data. In particular, we focus on the relationship between grandparents' wealth and their grandchildren's educational achievement. Doing so allows us to reliably establish the independent role of wealth in contributing to long-term inequalities in opportunity. We use regression models with rich controls to account for observed socioeconomic characteristics of families, cousin fixed effects to net out potentially unobserved grandparental effects, and marginal structural models to account for endogenous selection. We find substantial associations between grandparents' wealth and their grandchildren's grade point averages (GPA) in the 9th grade that are only partly mediated by the socioeconomic characteristics and wealth of parents. Our findings indicate that family wealth inequality - even in a comparatively egalitarian context like Sweden - has profound consequences for the distribution of opportunity across multiple generations. We posit that our estimates of the long-term consequences of wealth inequality may be conservative for nations other than Sweden, like the United States, where family wealth - in addition to its insurance and normative functions - allows the direct purchase of educational quality and access.
106 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the role of grandparents in the provision of child care in countries with a high availability of part-time jobs for women and found a clear relationship between policy context and the frequency of grandparental child care.
Abstract: Across Europe grandparents play very different roles. This paper studies to what extent grandparents' role as providers of child care relates to the country policy context, focusing on public child-care services and parental leave regulation, and to the availability of part-time jobs for women. We also explore whether mothers' needs to combine family and work differently influence the frequency of grandparental child care across countries. The analysis combines micro-data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and macro-indicators from the Multilinks database and Eurostat. We find a clear association between policy context and frequency of grandparental child care. Three models emerge. In countries close to the familialism by default model (i.e. characterised by scarce public child-care services and parental leave), when grandparents provide child care they often do it daily. In countries characterised by defamilialisation and supported familialism policies (with generous public services and parental leave) grandparents take on a marginal role. An intermediate model emerges in countries characterised by a limited offer of child care or parental leave, where grandparental child care complements state support and tends to be offered on a weekly basis. Our analysis corroborates the idea that the highly intensive involvement of grandparents in countries with low availability of part-time jobs for women is influenced by the need (unmet by the welfare) of mothers to combine work and family.
88 citations
TL;DR: An association is found between maternal grandmother smoking in pregnancy and grand daughters having adverse scores in Social Communication and Repetitive Behaviour measures that are independently predictive of diagnosed autism in her grandchildren.
Abstract: Although there is considerable research into the genetic background of autism spectrum disorders, environmental factors are likely to contribute to the variation in prevalence over time. Rodent experiments indicate that environmental exposures can have effects on subsequent generations, and human studies indicate that parental prenatal exposures may play a part in developmental variation. Here we use the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) to test the hypothesis that if the mother or father (F1) had been exposed to their own mother’s (F0) smoking during pregnancy, the offspring (F2) would be at increased risk of autism. We find an association between maternal grandmother smoking in pregnancy and grand daughters having adverse scores in Social Communication and Repetitive Behaviour measures that are independently predictive of diagnosed autism. In line with this, we show an association with actual diagnosis of autism in her grandchildren. Paternal grandmothers smoking in pregnancy showed no associations.
60 citations
TL;DR: More time spending on grandparent caregiving is generally beneficial to Chinese American grandparents' psychological well-being, thus supporting role enhancement theory and role strain theory.
Abstract: Background Though ample research on grandparent caregiving and psychological well-being outcomes exist in Western literature, little attention has been focused on Chinese American grandparents Based on role enhancement and role strain theories, this study examined grandparent caregiving and psychological well-being among Chinese American older adults and tested whether caregiving burden or pressure from adult children moderated such association Methods We used the data from the Population Study of ChINese Elderly in Chicago (PINE), a population-based survey of community-dwelling Chinese older adults in the Greater Chicago area Grandparents with grandchildren younger than 16 years old were selected for present study (N = 2,775) Negative binominal regression and logistic regression models were used to test the relationships of grandparent caregiving time and psychological well-being measured by depressive symptoms and quality of life Results Grandparents reported an average of 1196 hours a week for caring for grandchildren Caregiving time had a significantly negative association with depressive symptoms, but not with quality of life The association between grandparent caregiving and depressive symptoms was moderated by the perception of caregiving burden No moderating effect of caregiving pressure from adult children was found Conclusions More time spending on grandparent caregiving is generally beneficial to Chinese American grandparents' psychological well-being, thus supporting role enhancement theory However, this association depends on whether this experience is a burden to the grandparents, therefore role strain theory is also supported Policies and programs are discussed to address the grandparenting experience in the Chinese American older adults
58 citations
TL;DR: Findings support the existence of linkages between intergenerational exposure to IRS and risk for suicidal ideation and attempts and for a potential cumulative risk in relation to suicide attempts across generations.
Abstract: Objective:Suicide rates among Indigenous peoples in Canada are at least twice that of their non-Indigenous counterparts. Although contemporary stressors contribute to this increased risk, historical experiences such as the Indian Residential School (IRS) system may also have continuing links with the risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The current investigation examined the intergenerational and cumulative links between familial IRS attendance in relation to lifetime suicide ideation and attempts among First Nations adults living on-reserve.Method:Data from the 2008-2010 First Nations Regional Health Survey were analyzed, and participants comprised a representative sample of First Nations adults older than 18 years (weighted N = 127,338; IRS attendees were excluded). Of those who knew their familial IRS history, 38.0% had no history of attendance, 19.3% had a grandparent who attended, 16.2% had a parent who attended, and 26.5% had a parent and grandparent who attended.Results:Exposure of one previou...
49 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the effect of providing grandchild care on participation in social activities for people aged 50-85 in Europe, using an instrumental variable approach on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe.
Abstract: Against the background of rapid population ageing, studying social participation in later life is of particular relevance within the framework of active ageing. Although caring for grandchildren has taken a central role for older persons due to unprecedented overlap between grandparents’ and their grandchildren’s lives, whether the relationship between grandparental childcare and social activities is characterised by cumulation or competition remains under-explored. Grandparental childcare may increase the purpose in life for grandparents, stimulating their social participation, or it may impose time and energy constraints on it. This study aims to assess the effect of providing grandchild care on participation in social activities for people aged 50–85 in Europe. Using an instrumental variable approach on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we find no significant negative effects of grandchild care on engagement in at least one social activity. However, regular provision of grandchild care has a significant negative effect on the number of activities in which grandmothers participate. When considering the activities separately by type we also find, for grandmothers only, a negative effect on volunteering, engagement in educational or training courses and participation in political or community-related organisation.
49 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that any caregiving experience (previous or repeated) provides health benefits to grandparents and that emotional support mediated the relationship between caregiving and SRH among repeated caregivers.
Abstract: Little longitudinal data exist on grandparent caregivers and few studies have examined their physical health outcomes. This study examined the effect of caring for grandchildren on grandparents' physical health and the role of intergenerational support from adult children. Longitudinal data derived from a survey on the well-being of older adults in China were used to conduct path analysis of previous grandparent caregivers (vs. noncaregivers) and repeated grandparent caregivers (vs. noncaregivers). The final sample was 799 grandparents aged 60 or older living in rural China. Three aspects of intergenerational support were measured: financial, emotional, and instrumental support. Repeated grandparent caregivers had better self-rated health (SRH) and fewer limitations than noncaregivers. Previous grandparent caregivers had better SRH compared to noncaregivers. Emotional support mediated the relationship between caregiving and SRH among repeated caregivers. Findings suggest that any caregiving experience (previous or repeated) provides health benefits to grandparents.
48 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined whether caregiving within and beyond the family is related to mortality in older adults and found that the mortality hazards for grandparents who provided non-custodial childcare were 37% lower than for those who did not provide childcare.
45 citations
TL;DR: The FE findings indicate that supplementary grandchild care in Germany does not have a causal impact on grandparents' SRH, suggesting that models with between-variation components overestimate the influence ofgrandchild care on grandparents’ health because they do not control for unobserved (time-constant) heterogeneity.
44 citations
TL;DR: The findings show that the period of healthygrandparenthood is becoming longer because of improvements in health and mortality, which more than offset delays in grandparenthood.
Abstract: Healthy grandparenthood represents the period of overlap during which grandparents and grandchildren can build relationships, and grandparents can make intergenerational transfers to younger kin. The health of grandparents has important implications for upward and downward intergenerational transfers within kinship networks in aging societies. Although the length of grandparenthood is determined by fertility and mortality patterns, the amount of time spent as a healthy grandparent is also affected by morbidity. In this study, we estimate the length of healthy grandparenthood for the first time. Using U.S. and Canadian data, we examine changes in the length of healthy grandparenthood during years when grandparenthood was postponed, health improved, and mortality declined. We also examine variation in healthy grandparenthood by education and race/ethnicity within the United States. Our findings show that the period of healthy grandparenthood is becoming longer because of improvements in health and mortality, which more than offset delays in grandparenthood. Important variation exists within the United States by race/ethnicity and education, which has important implications for family relationships and transfers.
TL;DR: In this article, a review of the research on the effectiveness of different interventions for grandparent caregivers is presented, focusing on the cognitive-behavioral spectrum of interventions, including case management, support groups, and psycho-educational interventions.
Abstract: Grandparent caregivers face a myriad of challenges that require intervention at various levels. Programs are now available to enhance the lives of grandparent caregivers, and there is evidence, although largely from methodologically inadequate studies, that such interventions are beneficial. This review critically appraised the research on the effectiveness of different interventions for these grandparents. A total of 21 studies were included in the review. Studies were assessed according to research design, methodological quality, and intervention outcomes. Best available evidence suggests that interventions within the cognitive-behavioral spectrum have the most empirical support. Promising approaches that require further research include interdisciplinary case management, support groups, and psychoeducational interventions. To establish an evidence base for interventions designed to promote the well-being of grandparents and alleviate the stress associated with raising grandchildren, there is a ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors make a contribution to the demography and geography of kinship by studying how internal migration and demography shape the geographical availability of kin in contemporary Sweden Age.
Abstract: This study makes a contribution to the demography and geography of kinship by studying how internal migration and demography shape the geographical availability of kin in contemporary Sweden Age s
TL;DR: In this paper, a model of residence choice, fertility, and female labor force participation was built to account for the relationship between grandparent-provided child care, fertility and female labour market outcomes.
TL;DR: In this article, a systematic review examines theoretical and empirical research on the psychological well-being of grandparents who provide supplementary care for their grandchildren, and concludes that the relationship between the provision of supplementary grandchild care and psychological wellbeing varies according to grandparents' socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., race and co-residence with adult children), caregiving situations (i.e., types of care and activities with grandchildren), and indicators of social capital (e., familial relationships and social supports).
Abstract: This systematic review examines theoretical and empirical research on the psychological well-being of grandparents who provide supplementary care for their grandchildren. The review included 15 articles that met inclusion criteria. Seven of these studies examined the association of the provision of supplementary grandchild care to grandparents’ psychological well-being, and the other eight studies analyzed the relations between specific characteristics of grandparents providing supplementary childcare and their own psychological well-being. The results suggested that the relationship between the provision of supplementary grandchild care and psychological well-being varies according to grandparents’ socio-demographic characteristics (e.g. race and co-residence with adult children), caregiving situations (e.g. types of care and activities with grandchildren), and indicators of social capital (e.g. familial relationships and social supports). This paper highlights the limitations of the theoretical ...
TL;DR: There was a sufficient evidence base for weight, diet, physical activity and tobacco studies to draw conclusions about grandparents’ influence, and evidence indicated that, overall, grandparents had an adverse impact on their grandchildren’s cancer risk factors.
Abstract: Many lifestyle patterns are established when children are young. Research has focused on the potential role of parents as a risk factor for non communicable disease in children, but there is limited investigation of the role of other caregivers, such as grandparents. The aim of this review was to identify and synthesise evidence for any influence grandparents’ care practices may have on their grandchildren’s long term cancer risk factors. A systematic review was carried out with searches across four databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO) as well as searches of reference lists and citing articles, and Google Scholar. Search terms were based on six areas of risk that family care could potentially influence–weight, diet, physical activity, tobacco, alcohol and sun exposure. All study designs were included, as were studies that provided an indication of the interaction of grandparents with their grandchildren. Studies were excluded if grandparents were primary caregivers and if children had serious health conditions. Study quality was assessed using National Institute for Health and Care Excellence checklists. Grandparent impact was categorised as beneficial, adverse, mixed or as having no impact. Due to study heterogeneity a meta-analysis was not possible. Qualitative studies underwent a thematic synthesis of their results. Results from all included studies indicated that there was a sufficient evidence base for weight, diet, physical activity and tobacco studies to draw conclusions about grandparents’ influence. One study examined alcohol and no studies examined sun exposure. Evidence indicated that, overall, grandparents had an adverse impact on their grandchildren’s cancer risk factors. The theoretical work in the included studies was limited. Theoretically underpinned interventions designed to reduce these risk factors must consider grandparents’ role, as well as parents’, and be evaluated robustly to inform the evidence base further.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined whether mother, father, and closest grandparent involvement are associated with South African adolescents' mental health (internalizing and externalizing problems and prosocial behavior) and substance use.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to examine whether mother, father, and closest grandparent involvement are associated with South African adolescents’ mental health (internalizing and externalizing problems and prosocial behavior) and substance use. A sample of 512 Grade 8 and Grade 9 learners in Cape Town (M age = 14 years) completed a structured survey. Of the participants, 57% were female, and 85% identified themselves as “colored” (mixed race). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses, controlling for age, sex, and socioeconomic status, indicated that mother and father involvement were negatively associated with adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing problems, whereas mother and closest grandparent involvement were positively associated with prosocial behavior. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses revealed that parent involvement was negatively associated with past-month cigarette use, but not with past-month alcohol or past-year marijuana use. The findings suggest the importance of conside...
Abstract: The relationships between paid work and informal care are critical to understanding how paid work is made possible. An extensive source of childcare in the UK is the intergenerational care grandparents provide. Using data from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample of children born in 2000, biprobit and instrumental variables (IV) analysis of mothers’ participation (given the social construction of caring responsibility) identifies a significant causal effect of grandparents’ childcare in that it:
(i) raises the labour force participation of mothers with a child of school entry age on average by 12 percentage points (the average marginal effect);(ii) raises the participation of the group of mothers who use grandparent childcare by 33 percentage points compared to the situation if they did not have access to this care (the average treatment effect on the treated).
Thus grandparent-provided childcare has a substantial impact on the labour market in the UK, an impact that may not be sustainable with forthcoming changes to the state pension age. Grandparents’ childcare increases the labour force participation of lone and partnered mothers at all levels of educational qualifications but by different degrees. Grandparents’ childcare enables mothers to enter paid work rather than extending their hours of paid work.
TL;DR: A multigenerational perspective is used to investigate how families reproduce and pass their educational advantages to succeeding generations, relying on a two-sex approach that accounts for interactions between males and females.
Abstract: We use a multigenerational perspective to investigate how families reproduce and pass their educational advantages to succeeding generations. Unlike traditional mobility studies that have typically focused on one-sex influences from fathers to sons, we rely on a two-sex approach that accounts for interactions between males and females—the process in which males and females mate and have children with those of similar educational statuses and jointly determine the educational status attainment of their offspring. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we approach this issue from both a short-term and a long-term perspective. For the short term, grandparents’ educational attainments have a direct association with grandchildren’s education as well as an indirect association that is mediated by parents’ education and demographic behaviors. For the long term, initial educational advantages of families may benefit as many as three subsequent generations, but such advantages are later offset by the lower fertility of highly educated persons. Yet, all families eventually achieve the same educational distribution of descendants because of intermarriages between families of high- and low-education origin.
TL;DR: This article examined the extent to which affection received from grandparents is associated with grandchildren's perceptions of their grandparents and their grandparent-grandchild relationship (in the form of emotional closeness, shared family identity, and perceived availability of social support).
Abstract: Grounded in affection exchange theory (AET; Floyd, 2006), this study examined the extent to which affection received from grandparents is associated with grandchildren’s perceptions of their grandparents and their grandparent-grandchild relationship (in the form of emotional closeness, shared family identity, and perceived availability of social support). Young adult grandchildren (N = 171) completed several instruments in reference to their relationship with a specific grandparent. The results of multiple regression analyses generally supported the hypotheses that received affection is associated positively with grandchildren’s perceptions of their grandparents and their grandparent-grandchild relationship. These findings support AET’s utility in the grandparent-grandchild relationship and the notion that grandparents often influence their grandchildren’s perceptions of their family.
TL;DR: The results suggest that when mothers and grandmothers use soda, juice, and juice-drinks as treats, they do so within a wider dynamic of balancing practices, and within two intersecting domains: the hierarchy of beverages, including the still ambivalent status of juice as healthy or unhealthy, and the definition of 'special occasion'.
TL;DR: In this article, a multigenerational view was applied to test if and under which conditions the resources of grandparents are relevant for the educational outcomes of their grandchildren, using data from the fifth wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (N = 27,447).
Abstract: Educational attainment depends on parents' material and cultural resources. In many families, the grandparents also provide resources that directly or indirectly support their children's educational careers. That is why we applied a multigenerational view and tested if and under which conditions the resources of grandparents are relevant for the educational outcomes of their grandchildren. Using data from the fifth wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (N = 27,447), we examined the association between the education of children and the resources of their grandparents. The results show that the impact of grandparental resources is not generally negligible and not entirely mediated by the parental generation. The resources of the grandparents can be used as a substitute for a lack of parental resources. In addition, the “grandparent effect” also differs across countries, indicating that certain welfare state provisions seem to enhance or attenuate the relevance of grandparents' resources.
TL;DR: This article examined the short and medium term impact of early childcare provision by grandparents and formal care settings on child cognitive outcomes, using data from the Millennium Cohort Study (UK) and found that children cared for by their grandparents are better at naming objects, but perform worse on tests of basic concept development and non-verbal reasoning.
Abstract: This paper examines the short and medium term impact of early childcare provision by grandparents and formal care settings on child cognitive outcomes, using data from the Millennium Cohort Study (UK). Compared with children placed in formal childcare, children cared for by their grandparents are better at naming objects, but perform worse on tests of basic concept development and non-verbal reasoning. These results mask strong heterogeneities. On the one hand, the positive association between grandparental care and child outcomes is stronger for children from more advantaged households; on the other, the negative association is only significant for those from more disadvantaged households. The results of OLS estimations used for our analysis are confirmed using panel methods and an instrumental variable approach.
TL;DR: The absence of fathers from the household as well as co-residence with grandparents is associated with adverse outcomes for children in virtually all developed countries, and this is generally true in terms of both cognitive and non-cognitive skills.
Abstract: This study addresses the relationship between various family forms and the level of cognitive and non-cognitive skills among 15- to 16-year-old students. We measure cognitive skills using standardized scores in mathematics; non-cognitive abilities are captured by a composite measure of internal locus of control related to mathematics. A particular focus lies on father absence although we also examine the role played by co-residence with siblings and grandparents. We use cross-nationally comparable data on students participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment’s release for 2012. By mapping inequalities by family forms across 33 developed countries, this study provides robust cross-country comparable evidence on the relationship of household structure with both cognitive and non-cognitive skills. The study produces three key results: first, the absence of fathers from the household as well as co-residence with grandparents is associated with adverse outcomes for children in virtually all developed countries. Second, this is generally true in terms of both cognitive and non-cognitive skills, although the disadvantage connected to both family forms is notably stronger in the former than in the latter domain. Finally, there is marked cross-national diversity in the effects associated with the presence in the household of siblings and especially grandparents which furthermore differs across the two outcomes considered.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the moderating effect of emotional closeness to grandparents on the relationship between parenting styles of parents and social competence of children, and concluded that in the course of psychosocial development, the emotional closeeness of children to grandparents serves as safeguard against negative family conditions.
Abstract: The study examined the moderating effect of emotional closeness to grandparents on the relationship between parenting styles of parents and social competence of children. A total of 297 individuals (99 mothers, 99 fathers and 99 adolescents) living in joint family system including three generations (grandparents, parents, and grandchildren), with at least one child aged 13–18 years, participated in the study. Stepwise hierarchical regression analyses showed that child-reported parenting predicted children’s social competence even after controlling for demographic and parent-reported parenting and explained 7–18 % of the variance in social skills of children. Emotional closeness to grandparents moderated the relationship between mother authoritativeness and overconfidence of children (β = −.30, p < .05; ΔR
2 = .09), suggesting a positive relationship between mother authoritativeness and overconfidence of children when children are low on emotional closeness to grandparents and a negative relationship when children are high on emotional closeness to grandparents. Emotional closeness to grandparents also moderated the effect of father authoritativeness on inappropriate assertiveness (β = −.37, p < .05; ΔR² = .13) and withdrawal (β = −.36, p < .05; ΔR² = .08) of children, suggesting that an increase in father authoritativeness is associated with a decrease in undesired traits, i.e., inappropriate assertiveness and withdrawal, under higher levels of emotional closeness to grandparents. It is concluded that in the course of psychosocial development, the emotional closeness of children to grandparents serves as safeguard against negative family conditions.
TL;DR: The frequency and form of father absence in northern Tanzania is determined, and its relationship to household food security, wealth, and child anthropometric status is determined.
Abstract: Objectives: The importance of fathers in ensuring child health in rural developing populations is questioned by anthropologists and population health scientists. Existing literature focuses on paternal death and child mortality. A relative lack of studies consider alternative forms of father absence and/or more subtle health outcomes. Here we determine the frequency and form of father absence in northern Tanzania and its relationship to household food security wealth and child anthropometric status. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 3136 children under 5 years of age from 56 villages. Using multilevel regression we contrast children residing with both parents to those that (i) have experienced paternal death (ii) reside with their mother but not their living father and (iii) are fostered apart from both living parents. Results: Of the total 3.5% of children had experienced paternal death. Thirteen percent resided with their mother but away from their living father. Supporting data indicate such cases primarily reflect parental divorce/separation extra-marital birth or polygynous fathers residing with an alternative cowife. Paternal death and residing apart from ones living father was associated with lower food security and/or relative poverty and there is suggestive evidence that children in such circumstances achieve lower height-for-age. Six percent of children were fostered usually with grandparents and were comparable to children residing with both parents in terms of household food security wealth and anthropometric status. Conclusion: Our results highlight diversity in the form and consequences of father absence. We discuss limitations of the current study and wider literature on fatherhood and make suggestions for future research.
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TL;DR: This article analyzed whether the introduction of the fathers' quota in Germany in 2007, that caused a sharp increase in the take-up of parental leave by fathers, has changed the attitudes towards gender roles in the grandparents' generation.
Abstract: Social norms and attitudes towards gender roles have been shown to have a large effect on economic outcomes of men and women. Many countries have introduced policies that aim at changing gender stereotypes, for example fathers' quota in parental leave schemes. In this paper, we analyze whether the introduction of the fathers' quota in Germany in 2007, that caused a sharp increase in the take-up of parental leave by fathers, has changed the attitudes towards gender roles in the grandparents' generation. To this end, we exploit the quasi-experimental setting of the 2007 reform and compare grandparents whose son had a child born before the 2007 reform to grandparents whose son had a child born after it. Our results suggest that such policy programs not only induce direct behavioral responses by the target group but also have indirect effects on non-treated individuals through social interaction and can thus change attitudes towards gender roles in a society as a whole.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used an interpretative phenomenological approach to study how grandparents make the decision to live in skipped-generation households and found that norms about care-giving and family obligation, inadequate child-care options, the need for financial support, problematic relationships within the family and a desire for companionship are among the factors that contribute to grandparents' decisions about their living arrangements.
Abstract: In many parts of the world, grandparents live with their grandchildren in ‘skipped-generation households’ in which no parent resides. In Thailand, this living arrangement is more common in rural areas where parents often migrate to find employment. The focus of this article is on how grandparents make the decision to live in skipped-generation households. Our study is based upon open-ended interviews with 48 grandparents who lived in three rural areas of Thailand. Using an interpretative phenomenological approach, the analysis uncovers several factors that contribute to grandparents’ decisions about their living arrangements. These factors include: norms about care-giving and family obligation, inadequate child-care options, the need for financial support, problematic relationships within the family and a desire for companionship. We also identify three different decision-making patterns: grandparents initiating the decision to provide grandchild care, adult children asking grandparents to assume this role and adult children abandoning grandchildren to the grandparents. Based upon these findings, we provide implications for practice that address the conditions of grandparents and their family members.
TL;DR: In all three populations, while the presence of parents is important for child survival, it is more beneficial to first/early-borns than to later- borns, and the importance of birth order is underscore in understanding how differential parental investment may produce child survival differentials between siblings.