CFD 1450 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Gender Role
The Contributions of Grandparents
Their presence in the lives of their children and grandchildren provides symbols of
longevity and continuity
o Having available grandparents increases feelings of security in younger
generations
Another important role - family historian
o Stories told by grandparents and great-grandparents
Grandparents also sometimes serve as mentors, role models, & crisis managers
Grandparent–Grandchildren Relationships: Asia
74% of elderly in Asia still co-reside with their adult children
Far greater than in Europe (26%) & North America (19%)
Children who coreside their grandparents have higher academic performance
o Long-term coresidence matters most.
China: The “One-Child” Policy
Corresponds with the “4-2-1” style (four grandparents, two parents, and one child)
Parents in China are able to take for granted an abundance of assistance from
grandparents
Typical form of assistance is child care, no matter where the grandparents live
o When grandmothers don’t with adult children, they often travel to help out
in times of need
Grandparents Under the Challenges of HIV/AIDS, Kenya and South Africa
There are vast numbers of orphans whose parents have died of AIDS
Grandmothers caring for many grandchildren and great-grandchildren
o Entirely on their own with little legal or economic support
o Also cared for the parents of these children as they became ill and died
Grandparents and Grandchildren in the United States
A substantial increase in the number of grandparents raising their grandchildren
o More common in African American & Latino American communities
▪ Fits with commitment of families providing a safety net for
children
▪ Kinship care in those families is an acceptable response of
family member loss and separation
Among the concerns of custodial grandparents
o Ensuring the safety of their grandchildren
o Monitoring interactions between them and their parents
The Importance and Quality of Intergenerational Relationships
The quality of the relationships of older parents and their children is reflected in:
o How close they live to one another
o The frequency of their interactions with each other
o The degree to which they provide mutual aid to one another
o The closeness or strength of feelings between them
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Document Summary
Their presence in the lives of their children and grandchildren provides symbols of longevity and continuity: having available grandparents increases feelings of security in younger generations. Another important role - family historian: stories told by grandparents and great-grandparents. Grandparents also sometimes serve as mentors, role models, & crisis managers. 74% of elderly in asia still co-reside with their adult children. Far greater than in europe (26%) & north america (19%) Children who coreside their grandparents have higher academic performance: long-term coresidence matters most. Corresponds with the 4-2-1 style (four grandparents, two parents, and one child) Parents in china are able to take for granted an abundance of assistance from grandparents. Typical form of assistance is child care, no matter where the grandparents live: when grandmothers don"t with adult children, they often travel to help out in times of need. Grandparents under the challenges of hiv/aids, kenya and south africa.
