Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T10:55:36.282Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Grandparents providing care for grandchildren: implications for economic preparation for later life in South Korea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2016

HYE JIN KIM ,
TRACEY A. LAPIERRE  and
ROSEMARY CHAPIN
HYE JIN KIM*
Affiliation:
School of Social Welfare, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA.
TRACEY A. LAPIERRE
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA.
ROSEMARY CHAPIN
Affiliation:
School of Social Welfare, University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA.
*
Address for correspondence: Hye Jin Kim, School of Social Welfare, University of Kansas, 1545 Lilac Lane, Lawrence, KS 66044, USA E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Mounting concern about economic preparation for later life combined with a growing number of grandparents providing grandchild care is fuelling increased interest in these topics in Korea. However, few studies have evaluated the relationship between providing care to grandchildren and economic behaviour. Guided by intergenerational exchange theory, this paper analyses the relationships between providing grandchild care and monetary compensation for care, and economic preparation for later life. Data come from a sub-sample of 2,599 grandmothers in the Korean Retirement and Income Study who have a grandchild under the age of ten, 279 of whom report providing regular care to grandchildren. Controlling for age, education, marital status and household income, the average amount of grandchild care provided per week is a significant negative predictor of economic preparation for later life among grandmothers. However, receiving financial compensation for providing grandchild care is not significantly related to economic preparation and did not mediate or moderate the relationship between amount of care provided and economic preparation. The implications of these findings and limitations of this study are also discussed.

Keywords

grandmothersgrandchild careintergenerational exchangeeconomic preparation for later life
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 38 , Issue 4 , April 2018 , pp. 676 - 699
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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

Acock, A. C. 2005. Working with missing values. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67, 4, 1012–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allison, P. D. 1999. Multiple Regression: A Primer. Pine Forge Press, Thousand Oaks, CA.Google Scholar
Andersen, R. M. 1995. Revisiting the behavioral model and access to medical care: does it matter? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36, 1, 1–10.Google Scholar
Anderson, K. H., Burkhauser, R. V. and Quinn, J. F. 1986. Do retirement dreams come true? The effect of unanticipated events on retirement plans. Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 39, 4, 518–26.Google Scholar
Baker, L. and Silverstein, M. 2012. The well-being of grandparents caring for grandchildren in China and the United States. In Arber, S. and Timonen, V. (eds), Contemporary Grandparenting: Changing Family Relationships in Global Contexts. The Policy Press, Bristol, UK, 51–77.Google Scholar
Baker, L. A., Silverstein, M. and Putney, N. M. 2008. Grandparents raising grandchildren in the United States: changing family forms, stagnant social policies. Journal of Societal & Social Policy, 7, 53–69.Google Scholar
Chansarn, S. 2013. Economic preparation for retirement of population aged 50–59 years old in Thailand. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 91, 640–7.Google Scholar
Chen, F. and Liu, G. 2012. The health implications of grandparents caring for grandchildren in China. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 67B, 1, 99–112.Google Scholar
Chin, M., Lee, J., Lee, S., Son, S. and Sung, M. 2012. Family policy in South Korea: development, current status, and challenges. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21, 1, 53–64.Google Scholar
Cho, C. Y., Song, M. Y. and Lee, K. S. 2009. The decision factor on thinking against their old age of the middle generation. Journal of Welfare for the Aged, 43, 135–56. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Cho, H. M. and Bae, N. R. 2004. A study on the poverty of the elderly women and welfare policy. Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies, 26, 125–49. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Chung, S. and Park, S. J. 2008. Successful ageing among low-income older people in South Korea. Ageing & Society, 28, 8, 1061–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G. and Aiken, L. S. 2013. Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Routledge, Abingdon, UK.Google Scholar
Cong, Z. and Silverstein, M. 2011. Intergenerational exchange between parents and migrant and nonmigrant sons in rural China. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73, 1, 93–104.Google Scholar
DeVaney, S. A. and Chiremba, S. 2005. Comparing the Retirement Savings of the Baby Boomers and Other Cohorts. US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Frankenberg, E., Lillard, L. and Willis, R. J. 2002. Patterns of intergenerational transfers in Southeast Asia. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 3, 627–41.Google Scholar
Fuller-Thomson, E., Serbinski, S. and McCormack, L. 2014. The rewards of caring for grandchildren: Black Canadian grandmothers who are custodial parents, co-parents, and extensive babysitters. GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy, 1, 1, 2–31.Google Scholar
Glaser, K., Ribé Montserrat, E., Waginger, U., Price, D., Stuchbury, R. and Tinker, A. 2010. Grandparenting in Europe. Grandparents Plus, London.Google Scholar
Grundy, E. 2005. Reciprocity in relationships: socio-economic and health influences on intergenerational exchanges between Third Age parents and their adult children in Great Britain. British Journal of Sociology, 56, 2, 233–55.Google Scholar
Guzman, L. 2003. Love and investment, the continual bond: grandparents care for children . Doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.Google Scholar
Ha, S. C. and Hong, K. Z. 2014. A study of providing care to grandchildren effects on grandparents’ perception on old-age support: focusing on expectations for residence with adult children. Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies, 45, 2, 99–122. (In Korean)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
Henretta, J. C., Hill, M. S., Li, W., Soldo, B. J. and Wolf, D. A. 1997. Selection of children to provide care: the effect of earlier parental transfers. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 52B, special issue, 110–9.Google Scholar
Ho, C. 2013. Grandchild care, intergenerational transfers, and grandparents’ labor supply. Review of Economics of the Household, 13, 2, 359–84.Google Scholar
Hong, S. W. and Choi, H. K. 2012. Grandparenting style and consumption behavior of elderly consumers for grandchildren. Journal of the Korean Gerontological Society, 32, 4, 1163–80. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Hurd, M. D. and Rohwedder, S. 2011. Economic preparation for retirement. David, W. (ed.), Investigations in the Economics of Aging. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 77–113.Google Scholar
Jendrek, M. P. 1994. Grandparents who parent their grandchildren: circumstances and decisions. The Gerontologist, 34, 2, 206–16.Google Scholar
Jeon, G. Y. and Bae, M. J. 2010. Study on the perception and behavior for preparing their old age. Journal of Korean Home Management Association, 28, 1, 13–24. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Jun, H. J. 2015. Educational differences in the cognitive functioning of grandmothers caring for grandchildren in South Korea. Research on Aging, 37, 5, 500–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, E. H. W. and Cook, P. J. 2011. The continuing importance of children in relieving elder poverty: evidence from Korea. Ageing & Society, 31, 6, 953–76.Google Scholar
Kim, H. J. 2012. The effects of the middle aged recognition towards later life on preparation behavior for their old age and moderate effect of knowledge about policy for elderly people. Korean Journal of Social Welfare Research, 32, 53–80. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Kim, K. S. and Yu, C. N. 2012. A longitudinal study on life satisfaction and income trajectory in old age. Journal of Welfare for the Aged, 58, 163–88. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Ko, P. C. and Hank, K. 2013. Grandparents caring for grandchildren in China and Korea: findings from CHARLS and KLoSA. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, gbt129.Google Scholar
Korean Institute of Child Care and Education 2012. National Child Care Survey. Korean Institute of Child Care and Education, Seoul. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare 2013. 2014 minimum cost of living. Available online at http://www.mohw.go.kr/front_new/jb/sjb0406vw.jsp?PAR_MENU_ID=03&MENU_ID=030406&CONT_SEQ=321700&page=1 [Accessed 20 June 2015].Google Scholar
Korean National Pension Research Institution 2008. The Middle Aged and Older Persons’ Economic Life. National Pension Research Institution, Seoul. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Korean National Pension Service 2015. 2014 National Pension Statistics Facts Book. Korean National Pension Service and National Pension Research Institute, Seoul. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Lambe, C. J., Wittmann, C. M. and Spekman, R. E. 2001. Social exchange theory and research on business-to-business relational exchange. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 8, 3, 1–36.Google Scholar
Lee, J. 2009. Motivations for providing and utilizing grandmaternal childcare for employed mothers in South Korea . Doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.Google Scholar
Lee, J. H. 2009. The middle aged's perception of aging and physical, financial & social preparation for later life: focus on gender differences. Korean Journal of Community Living Science, 20, 2, 275–89. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Lee, J. and Bauer, J. W. 2010. Profiles of grandmothers providing child care to their grandchildren in South Korea. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 41, 3, 455–75.Google Scholar
Lee, J. and Bauer, J. W. 2013. Motivations for providing and utilizing child care by grandmothers in South Korea. Journal of Marriage and Family, 75, 2, 381–402.Google Scholar
Lee, S. J. 2009. The characteristics of old age preparation of Korean adults and policy implications. Health–Welfare Policy Forum, 147, 72–80. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Lee, W. K. M. and Law, K. W. K. 2004. Retirement planning and retirement satisfaction: the need for a national retirement program and policy in Hong Kong. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 23, 3, 212–33.Google Scholar
Lei, X. 2006. Grandchild care, financial transfers and grandma's labor market decisions . Unpublished manuscript, University of California, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Leopold, T. and Raab, M. 2013. The temporal structure of intergenerational exchange: a within-family analysis of parent–child reciprocity. Journal of Aging Studies, 27, 3, 252–63.Google Scholar
Maehara, T. and Takemura, A. 2007. The norms of filial piety and grandmother roles as perceived by grandmothers and their grandchildren in Japan and South Korea. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 31, 6, 585–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marshall, A., Altman, D. G., Holder, R. L. and Royston, P. 2009. Combining estimates of interest in prognostic modelling studies after multiple imputation: current practice and guidelines. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 9, 1, 1–8.Google Scholar
Minkler, M. and Fuller-Thomson, E. 2005. African American grandparents raising grandchildren: a national study using the Census 2000 American Community Survey. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 60B, 2, S82–92.Google Scholar
Molm, L. D. and Cook, K. S. 1995. Social exchange and exchange networks. In Cook, K. S., Fine, G. A. and House, J. S. (eds), Sociological Perspectives on Social Psychology. Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 209–35.Google Scholar
Morgan, L. A. and Eckert, J. K. 2004. Retirement financial preparation: implications for policy. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 16, 2, 19–34.Google Scholar
Muramatsu, N. and Akiyama, H. 2011. Japan: super-aging society preparing for the future. The Gerontologist, 51, 4, 425–32.Google Scholar
Noone, J. H., Stephens, C. and Alpass, F. M. 2009. Preretirement planning and well-being in later life a prospective study. Research on Aging, 31, 3, 295–317.Google Scholar
Oh, K. S. 2010. Poor custodial grandparents’ life story and care-giving experiences of their grandchildren. Korean Journal of Childcare and Education, 6, 3, 65–84. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Park, C. J. 2008. Economic preparations for aging of the middle and old-aged and their determinants. Korean Journal of Social Welfare, 60, 3, 275–97. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Park, K. S., Phua, V., McNally, J. and Sun, R. 2005. Diversity and structure of intergenerational relationships: elderly parent–adult child relations in Korea. Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology, 20, 4, 285–305.Google Scholar
Payne, S. H., Yorgason, J. B. and Dew, J. P. 2014. Spending today or saving for tomorrow: the influence of family financial socialization on financial preparation for retirement. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 35, 1, 106–18.Google Scholar
Peterson, R. A. 1994. A meta-analysis of Cronbach's coefficient alpha. Journal of Consumer Research, 21, 2, 381–91.Google Scholar
Scott, J. 2000. Rational choice theory. In Browning, G., Halcli, A. and Webster, F. (eds), Understanding Contemporary Society: Theories of the Present. Sage, London, 126–38.Google Scholar
Seo, H. 2009. A study on young children's life at grandparent grandchild families – focused on rural areas. Korea Journal of Child Care and Education, 56, 1–30. (In Korean)Google Scholar
Silverstein, M. 2005. Testing theories about intergenerational exchange. In Bengtson, V. L., Acock, A. C., Allen, K. R., Dilworth-Anderson, P. and Klein, D. M. (eds), Sourcebook of Family Theory and Research. Sage, Thousand Oaks, California, 407–10.Google Scholar
Silverstein, M., Cong, Z. and Li, S. 2006. Intergenerational transfers and living arrangements of older people in rural China: consequences for psychological well-being. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 61B, 5, S256–66.Google Scholar
Stawski, R. S., Hershey, D. A. and Jacobs-Lawson, J. M. 2007. Goal clarity and financial planning activities as determinants of retirement savings contributions. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 64, 1, 13–32.Google Scholar
Swartz, T. T. 2009. Intergenerational family relations in adulthood: patterns, variations, and implications in the contemporary United States. Annual Review of Sociology, 35, 191–212.Google Scholar
Taylor, M. A. and Geldhauser, H. A. 2007. Low-income older workers. In Shultz, K. S. and Adams, G. A. (eds), Aging and Work in the 21st Century. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, New Jersey, 25–50.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
Verbrugge, L. M. and Chan, A. 2008. Giving help in return: family reciprocity by older Singaporeans. Ageing & Society, 28, 1, 5–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wakabayashi, C. and Donato, K. M. 2006. Does caregiving increase poverty among women in later life? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Survey. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 47, 3, 258–74.Google Scholar
Yao, R., Gutter, M. S. and Hanna, S. D. 2005. The financial risk tolerance of Blacks, Hispanics and Whites. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 16, 1, 51–62.Google Scholar
Yasuda, T., Iwai, N., Yi, C. C. and Xie, G. 2011. Intergenerational coresidence in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan: comparative analyses based on the East Asian social survey 2006. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 42, 5, 703–22.Google Scholar