Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T09:29:07.522Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Child care by grandparents: changes between 1992 and 2006

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 April 2014

TEUN GEURTS ,
THEO VAN TILBURG ,
ANNE-RIGT POORTMAN  and
PEARL A. DYKSTRA
TEUN GEURTS*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Erasmus UniversityRotterdam, The Netherlands.
THEO VAN TILBURG
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Erasmus UniversityRotterdam, The Netherlands.
ANNE-RIGT POORTMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology/Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
PEARL A. DYKSTRA
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
*
Address for correspondence: Teun Geurts, Ministry of Security and Justice, Research and Documentation Centre, P.O. Box 20301, 2500 EH, The Hague, The Netherlands. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study considers changes in child care by grandparents between 1992 and 2006 in relation to changes in mothers' need for and grandparents' opportunity to provide child care. Data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam are used to compare two cohorts of Dutch grandparents aged 58–68 (N1992=181; N2006=350). Multi-level regression analysis shows that the probability that grandparents care for their adult daughters' children (N1992=261; N2006=484) increased from 0.23 to 0.41. The increase can be ascribed to higher maternal employment rates, growth in single motherhood, reduced travel time and a decline in the number of adult children. The increase would have been higher if the employment rate of grandparents had not risen.

Keywords

child caregrandparents
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 35 , Issue 6 , July 2015 , pp. 1318 - 1334
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Attias-Donfut, C. and Ogg, J. 2006. Grandmothers, employment, and looking after grandchildren. Paper presented at the International Federation on Ageing 8th Global Conference, May 31–June 3, Copenhagen.Google Scholar
Bengtson, V. L. 2001. Beyond the nuclear family: the increasing importance of multigenerational bonds. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63, 1, 1–16.Google Scholar
Bianchi, S. M. 2000. Maternal employment and time with children: dramatic change or surprising continuity? Demography, 37, 4, 401–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brewster, K. L. and Rindfuss, R. R. 2000. Fertility and women's employment in industrialized nations. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 271–96.Google Scholar
Carriero, R., Ghysels, J. and Van Klaveren, C. 2009. Do parents coordinate their work schedules? A comparison of Dutch, Flemish, and Italian dual-earner households. European Sociological Review, 25, 5, 603–17.Google Scholar
Cloïn, M. and Hermans, B. 2006. Onbetaalde arbeid en de combinatie van arbeid en zorg [Unpaid labor and the combination of labor and care]. In Portegijs, W. and Hermans, B. (eds), Emancipatiemonitor 2006: Veranderingen in de Leefsituatie en Levensloop [Emancipation Monitor 2006: Changes in Living Arrangements and Life Course] . Netherlands Institute for Social Research & Statistics Netherlands, The Hague, 100–40.Google Scholar
Cohen, P. N. and Bianchi, S. M. 1999. Marriage, children, and women's employment: what do we know? Monthly Labor Review, 122, 12, 22–31.Google Scholar
De Graaf, A. 2008. Naar een half miljoen alleenstaande ouders in Nederland [Towards One and a Half Million Single Parents in The Netherlands]. Available online at http://www.cbs.nl/ [Accessed 10 October 2009].Google Scholar
Del Boca, D., Pasqua, S. and Pronzato, C. 2009. Motherhood and market work decisions in institutional context: a European perspective. Oxford Economic Papers-New Series, 61, suppl 1, i147–i171.Google Scholar
Dykstra, P. A. 2012. Families in alle staten? [Families across time and societies]. Mens & Maatschappij, 87, 2, 174–96.Google Scholar
Fergusson, E., Maughan, B. and Golding, J. 2008. Which children receive grandparental care and what effect does it have? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49, 2, 161–9.Google Scholar
Frejka, T. and Sobotka, T. 2008. Fertility in Europe: diverse, delayed and below replacement. Demographic Research, 19, special collection 7, 15–46.Google Scholar
Fuller-Thomson, E. and Minkler, M. 2001. American grandparents providing extensive child care to their grandchildren. The Gerontologist, 41, 2, 201–9.Google Scholar
Gauthier, A. H., Smeeding, T. M. and Furstenberg, F. F. 2004. Are parents investing less time in children? Trends in selected industrialized countries. Population and Development Review, 30, 4, 647–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, A. 2005. The changing availability of grandparents as carers and its implications for childcare policy in the UK. Journal of Social Policy, 34, 4, 557–77.Google Scholar
Hank, K. and Buber, I. 2009. Grandparents caring for their grandchildren: findings from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe. Journal of Family Issues, 30, 1, 53–73.Google Scholar
Hansen, K., Joshi, H. and Verropoulou, G. 2006. Childcare and mothers’ employment: approaching the millennium. National Institute Economic Review, 195, 1, 84–102.Google Scholar
Harms, L. 2008. Overwegend onderweg: De leefsituatie en de mobiliteit van Nederlanders [Predominantly on the Way: Living Arrangement and Mobility of Dutch People]. Netherlands Institute for Social Research, The Hague.Google Scholar
Hayslip, B., Henderson, C. E. and Shore, R. J. 2003. The structure of grandparental role meaning. Journal of Adult Development, 10, 1, 1–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henkens, K. and Schippers, J. J. 2008. Labour market policies regarding older workers in the Netherlands. In Taylor, P. (ed.), Ageing Labour Forces: Promises and Prospects. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK, 141–57.Google Scholar
Herlofson, K., Hagestad, G. O., Slagsvold, B. and Sørensen, A. 2011. Intergenerational Family Responsibility and Solidarity in Europe. Multilinks Deliverable, Workpackage 4. Retrieved November 20, 2011 from: http://www.multilinks-project.eu/info/papers.Google Scholar
Huisman, M., Poppelaars, J., Van der Horst, M., Beekman, A. T. F., Brug, J., Van Tilburg, T. G. and Deeg, D. J. H. 2011. Cohort profile: the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). International Journal of Epidemiology, 40, 4, 868–76.Google Scholar
Ichino, A. and De Galdeano, A. S. 2005. Reconciling motherhood and work: evidence from time-use data in three countries. In Hamermesh, D. S. and Pfann, G. A. (eds), The Economics of Time Use: Contributions to Economic Analysis. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 263–88.Google Scholar
Jappens, M. and Van Bavel, J. 2012. Regional family norms and childcare by grandparents in Europe. Demographic Research, 27, 4, 85–120.Google Scholar
Kemp, C. L. 2007. Grandparent–grandchild ties: reflections on continuity and change across three generations. Journal of Family Issues, 28, 7, 855–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keuzenkamp, S. and Steenvoorden, E. 2008. Arbeidsdeelname en arbeidsduur internationaal vergeleken [Labor force participation and work-hours internationally compared]. In Portegijs, W. and Keuzenkamp, S. (eds), Nederland Deeltijdland: Vrouwen en Deeltijdwerk [The Netherlands, a Part time Country Women and Part time Jobs] . Netherlands Institute for Social Research, The Hague, 46–64.Google Scholar
King, V. 2003. The legacy of a grandparent's divorce: consequences for ties between grandparents and grandchildren. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 1, 170–83.Google Scholar
King, V. and Elder, G. H. 1997. The legacy of grandparenting: childhood experiences with grandparents and current involvement with grandchildren. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59, 4, 848–59.Google Scholar
Knipscheer, C. P. M., de Jong Gierveld, J., van Tilburg, T. G. and Dykstra, P. A. 1995. Living Arrangements and Social Networks of Older Adults. VU University Press, Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Larsen, T. P. 2004. Work and care strategies of European families: similarities or national differences? Social Policy & Administration, 38, 6, 654–77.Google Scholar
Laslett, P. 1991. A Fresh Map of Life: The Emergence of the Third Age. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachussetts.Google Scholar
Lewis, J., Knijn, T., Martin, C. and Ostner, I. 2008. Patterns of development in work/family reconciliation policies for parents in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK in the 2000s. Social Politics, 15, 3, 261–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLanahan, S. S. and Sandefur, G. 1994. Growing Up with a Single Parent: What Hurts, What Helps. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachussetts.Google Scholar
Meyer, M. H. 2013. Grandmothers juggling work and grandchildren in the United States. In Timonen, V. and Arber, S. (eds), Contemporary Grandparenting: Changing Family Relationships in Global Contexts. Policy Press, Bristol, UK, 70–91.Google Scholar
Mueller, M. M. and Elder, G. H. 2003. Family contingencies across the generations: grandparent–grandchild relationships in holistic perspective. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 2, 404–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (NBEPA) 2008. Een analyse van de groei van de formele kinderopvang in het recente verleden en in de nabije toekomst [An Analysis of the Growth of Formal Childcare in the Recent Past and in the Near Future]. NBEPA, The Hague.Google Scholar
Oppelaar, J. and Dykstra, P. A. 2004. Contacts between grandparents and grandchildren. Netherlands’ Journal of Social Sciences, 40, 2, 91–113.Google Scholar
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2013. Labour Force Statistics by Sex and Age. Retrieved February 8, 2013 from: http://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?r=815282.Google Scholar
Portegijs, W., Cloïn, M., Ooms, I. and Eggink, E. 2006. Hoe het werkt met kinderen: Moeders over kinderopvang en werk [How it Works with Children: Mothers About Daycare and Work]. Netherlands Institute for Social Research, The Hague.Google Scholar
Rasbash, J., Steel, F., Browne, W. and Prosser, B. 2004. A User's Guide to MLwiN. Centre for Multilevel Modelling, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.Google Scholar
Statistics Netherlands 2009 a. Statline database: Geboorte, kerncijfers [Statline Database: Birth, Key Figures]. Available online at http://statline.cbs.nl/statweb/ [Accessed 11 May 2009].Google Scholar
Statistics Netherlands 2009 b. Statline database: Mobiliteit per regio naar geslacht, vervoerwijzen en persoonskenmerken [Statline Database: Mobility per Region by Gender, Means of Transport and Persons’ Characterics]. Available online at http://statline.cbs.nl/statweb/ [Accessed 11 May 2009].Google Scholar
Statistics Netherlands 2009 c. Statline database: Voertuigbezit naar geslacht [Statline Database: Vehicle Ownership by Gender]. Available online at http://statline.cbs.nl/statweb/ [Accessed 11 May 2009].Google Scholar
Statistics Netherlands 2009 d. Statline database: Bevolking; geslacht, leeftijd en burgerlijke staat [Statline Database: Population, Gender, Age, and Marital Status]. Available online at http://statline.cbs.nl/statweb/ [Accessed 11 May 2009].Google Scholar
Statistics Netherlands 2013. Statline database: Echtscheiding; leeftijdsverschil, kinderen, geboorteland, huwelijksduur [Statline Database: Divorce, Age Differences, Children, Place of Birth, Marital Duration]. Available online at http://statline.cbs.nl/statweb/ [Accessed 11 May 2009].Google Scholar
Timonen, V. and Arber, S. 2013. A new look at grandparenting. In Timonen, V. and Arber, S. (eds), Contemporary Grandparenting: Changing Family Relationships in Global Contexts. Policy Press, Bristol, UK, 1–26.Google Scholar
Tobío, C. 2007. Change and reciprocity in intergenerational relationships: the discourse of Spanish working mothers. In Véron, J., Pennec, S. and Légaré, J. (eds), Ages, Generations and the Social Contract: The Demographic Challenges Facing the Welfare State. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 191–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Treas, J. and Widmer, E. D. 2000. Married women's employment over the life course: attitudes in cross-national perspective. Social Forces, 78, 4, 1409–36.Google Scholar
Uhlenberg, P. 2009. Children in an aging society. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 64B, 4, 489–96.Google Scholar
Van der Lippe, T., Jager, A. and Kops, Y. 2006. Combination pressure: the paid work–family balance of men and women in European countries. Acta Sociologica, 49, 3, 303–19.Google Scholar
Van Diepen, A. M. L. and Mulder, C. H. 2009. Distance to family members and relocations of older adults. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 24, 1, 31–46.Google Scholar
Vandell, D. L., McCartney, K., Owen, M. T., Booth, C. and Clarke-Stewart, A. 2003. Variations in child care by grandparents during the first three years. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 2, 375–81.Google Scholar
Vlasblom, J. D. and Schippers, J. 2006. Changing dynamics in female employment around childbirth: evidence from Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Work Employment and Society, 20, 2, 329–47.Google Scholar
Wheelock, J. and Jones, K. 2002. ‘Grandparents are the next best thing’: informal childcare for working parents in urban Britain. Journal of Social Policy, 31, 3, 441–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar