A relationship between a grandchild and a grandparent is nothing short of special: by the time that people have grandchildren, they tend to be more knowledgeable and accepting. While grandparenting has always made an essential part of old age, lately, the world has seen new trends in raising or helping to raise grandchildren. These tendencies are tied to the changing economic landscape that influences the ways people work and build their families. This essay will discuss how grandparenting has changed due to the new economy and provide two profiles of grandparents from different periods.
Nowadays, grandparents seem to be more actively participating in their children’s lives. Even though in 2017, a typical adult retires much later from work, he or she has as much time to spend as a retiree as their counterparts from the 1950s due to the increased life expectancy (Buchanan & Rotkirch, 2018). Moreover, as recent statistics have shown, senior citizens refuse to live in retirement homes and prefer to be independent and self-managed. Sometimes, they even become the heads of their households: if in 2000, 6% of families were led by a grandparent, by 2015, the share had amounted to 8% (Buchanan & Rotkirch, 2018). Thus, by staying active and having enough time on their hands, the new grandparents can build a stronger bond with their grandchildren.
The increased grandparental involvement in the 21st century is also explained by the growing number of single-parent households. Family breakups and divorces have become nothing unusual, which is a positive trend in some sense. In the developed countries, deciding to leave your life partner is no longer stigmatized and seen as an expression of one’s free will. However, the heightened divorce rate means that one parent often becomes the primary caregiver and struggles with juggling work, romantic life, and childrearing (Buchanan & Rotkirch, 2018). Therefore, grandparents are asked to give a helping hand, or they volunteer to babysit themselves.
A typical adult from the 1950s was likely to become a grandparent much earlier than an adult from 2017. This difference is explained by the new challenges that today’s adults are facing. They need more time for education and job search before becoming financially stable enough to have a child and, therefore, give their parents a grandchild. However, becoming a grandparent in one’s forties, or fifties did not mean more engagement in grandchildren’s lives. In the 1950s, even in the developed countries, society dictated to men and women how they had to be acting to fulfill the assigned gender roles (Sugar, Riekse, Holstege & Faber, 2013). Thus, women were more likely to be housewives and mothers and not need as much help from their parents.
The gender roles of the past also made grandmothers more likely to partake in the rearing of grandchildren. Both fathers and grandfathers were often dismissive and more focused on other aspects of life, such as work and personal hobbies. Today, the situation is changing, and both grandmothers and grandfathers are making an effort to be closer to their grandchildren. Men defy the traditional gender role by being more caring and affectionate and taking up grandparenting responsibilities they did not have in the past.
In summation, it appears that the 21st century brought positive tendencies and changed grandparenting for the best. Increased life expectancy and an active lifestyle after retirement make grandparents more likely to engage in their grandchildren’s lives. Men are trying to be responsible grandparents on par with their wives and take their relationships with grandchildren seriously. However, active and engaged grandparenting often cooccur with single parenthood. Seventy years ago, adults tended to become grandparents earlier but are less involved due to the female gender role prescribing mothers to stay at home and take care of children single-handedly.
References
Buchanan, A., & Rotkirch, A. (2018). Twenty-first century grandparents: Global perspectives on changing roles and consequences. Journal of the Academy of Social Sciences, 13(2), 131-144.
Sugar, J., Riekse, R. J., Holstege, H. &, Faber, M. A. (2013). Introduction to aging: A positive, interdisciplinary approach. Berlin, Germany: Springer Publishing Company.