Abstract
High divorce and remarriage rates have expanded nontraditional family forms, as some family members leave and others join during the process of repartnering. A less explored consequence of the growth in step-families is the proliferation of step-grandparenthood. This paper focuses on emotional closeness and frequency of contact between step-grandparents and their step-grandchildren in childhood and adulthood. Based on 4,992 biological grandparents and step-grandparents participating in the 2014 wave of the German Ageing Survey, we compared 7,710 biological grandparent–grandchild relations to 465 step-grandparent–step-grandchild relations. Step-relations were differentiated by whether repartnering occurred in the grandparent or parent generation. Hierarchical linear regression results provided support for the hypothesis that step-grandparents feel less emotionally close to their step-grandchildren than biological grandparents feel to their biological grandchildren. In contrast, the observed lower frequency of contact in step-grandparent–step-grandchild relations was mostly explained by their weaker emotional ties.
Highlights
Scholars have studied grandparenthood as a unique life-stage governed by implicit and explicit rules of engagement among grandparents, parents, and grandchildren (e.g., Arber & Timonen, 2012)
A step-grandchild is acquired when a biological child becomes a step-parent, a type we label as “inherited.” ( Ganong and Coleman (2004) divided the skipped generation type into later-life, and long-term stepgrandparents—depending on when in the lifecycle of the step-grandchild the step-grandparent was aquired—we consider all step-grandparents aquired through repartnering in the grandparent generation as “skipped generation” due to data limitations.) While it is possible that the two pathways operate together, in the case where a step-child becomes a step-parent, this is a rare occurrence in our analytic sample
Bivariate results suggest that relations between step-grandparents and their step-grandchildren are emotionally weaker than relations between grandparents and their biological grandchildren—both in childhood and adulthood
Summary
Scholars have studied grandparenthood as a unique life-stage governed by implicit and explicit rules of engagement among grandparents, parents, and grandchildren (e.g., Arber & Timonen, 2012). In part, this interest derives from growth in the prevalence of three-generation families, enabled by increased life expectancy that has extended the amount of shared lifetimes between generations (Leopold & Skopek, 2015; Margolis, 2016). We note that the step-grandparent role can be acquired due to repartnering following either divorce or widowhood, each with unique implications for step-families (Chapman, Kang, Ganong, Sanner, & Coleman, 2018). We are not able to differentiate these antecedent marital conditions in our data, recognizing that widowhood is likely more prevalent prior to the repartnering of grandparents than the repartnering of parents
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
