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The generation game is the cooperation game: The role of grandparents in the timing of reproduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 April 2010

Rebecca Sear  and
Thomas E. Dickins
Rebecca Sear
Affiliation:
Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics, London WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom. [email protected]://personal.lse.ac.uk/SEAR/
Thomas E. Dickins
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of East London, London E15 4LZ, United Kingdom. [email protected]://www.uel.ac.uk/psychology/staff/tomdickins.htm
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Abstract

Coall & Hertwig (C&H) demonstrate the importance of grandparents to children, even in low fertility societies. We suggest policy-makers interested in reproductive timing in such contexts should be alerted to the practical applications of this cooperative breeding framework. The presence or absence of a supportive kin network could help explain why some women begin their reproductive careers “too early” or “too late.”

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 33 , Issue 1 , February 2010 , pp. 34 - 35
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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