An Empirical Study of the Frequency of Intergenerational Contacts of Family Members in Japan

Abstract

This study aims to examine factors affecting frequency of children's contact with their grandparents. We employed quantitative data collected in Japan in 1999. Results showed that children living near grandparents tended to contact grandparents more frequently than others. Moreover, we noticed importance of parental roles. We found that children whose parents frequently contact grandparents are more likely to contact grandparents than others. There were some different roles of fathers and mothers. It mattered how much time fathers spent at home, while it made a difference whether mothers had jobs.