grandparents

Question 1

June Statham (2011)

Answer 1

• grandparents take on many roles (occasional babysitting, regular childcare, sole provider of childcare while parents work, living with grandchildren in multigenerational households, support in difficult times)
• HSBC Report (2007): grandparents saved families money (childcare w/o gps would cost £50 billion)
• Grandparentsplus (2009): gps were more flexible so fill childcare gaps and care for sick children when nurses won’t accept them, valuable to shift workers, another strain on families during pandemic
• around 5.8 million gps regularly look after granchildren for 10+ hrs a week
• many see these relationships as positive: young people can discuss problems with gps and they can act as a go-between in disputes

Question 2

rethinking family life: exploring the role of grandparents and the wider family

Answer 2

• The Grandparents Association calculate that there are 14 million grandparents (1/3 have a dependent child living with them, 1/2 have a living parent of their own)
• 1971: under 60% of women worked, this has risen to almost 75% (1/4 families rely on grandparents for childcare, 1/2 of single parents)
• Age Concern: valued gps contribution to childcare at £3.9 billion