Abstract
This study examines the characteristics of grandmothers who help provide care for their grandchildren, using data from a nationally representative sample (N = 2,095). Overall, 43% of grandmothers helped provide care for their grandchildren on a regular basis Grandmothers' age, living arrangements, number of children, number of grandchildren, education and health were associated with the likelihood of caregiving. Cluster analyses were conducted to identify a typology of grandmothers. This typology was based on caregiving, social roles, demographic characteristics, and well-being of the grandmothers. Four types of grandmothers were identified. "Homemaker" grandmothers (19%) and "young-and-connected" grandmothers (23%) helped provide care for their grandchildren. "Remote" grandmothers (32%) and "frail" grandmothers (26%) did not provide care. Caregiving did not prevent the grandmothers from assuming other roles within and outside the family.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 385-393 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Family Relations |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 1998 |
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- Education
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)