Intergenerational Ties in Context: Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren in China

Authors

Guangya Liu, Duke Law SchoolFollow
Feinian Chen
Christine A. Mair

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2011

Keywords

empirical research, intergenerational solidarity, childcare

Abstract

Guided by theories and empirical research on intergenerational relationships, we examine the phenomenon of grandparents caring for grandchildren in contemporary China. Using a longitudinal dataset (China Health and Nutrition Survey), the authors document a high level of structural and functional solidarity in grandparent-grandchildren relationships. Intergenerational solidarity is indicated by a high rate of coresidence between grandchildren and grandparents, a sizable number of skipped-generation households (no parent present), extensive childcare involvement by non-coresidential grandparents, and a large amount of care provided by coresidential grandparents. Multivariate analysis further suggests that grandparents’ childcare load is adaptive to familial needs, as reflected by the characteristics of the household, household members and work activities of the mothers.

Comments

First published online December 22, 2011 doi:10.1093/sf/sor012

Citation

Guangya Liu et al., Intergenerational Ties in Context: Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren in China, 90 Social Forces 571-594 (2011)