Citation

Uhlenberg, Peter & Cheuk, Michelle (2010). The significance of grandparents to grandchildren: an international perspective.. Dannefer, Dale & Phillipson, Chris (Eds.) (pp. 447-459). Sage Publications Ltd..

Abstract

The significance of grandparents to grandchildren: An international perspective Grandparenthood is a socially recognized category in every human society, but the meaning and significance of grandparenthood is socially constructed. This chapter focuses on the significance of grandparents for children, and we use studies from a number of societies to explore this issue. These studies reveal that, despite vast social, economic, and political differences across societies, grandparents always make a difference in the lives of some children. This is not to say, of course, that all grandparents make a positive contribution to the lives of their grandchildren. Although hardly studied, we know that some grandparents harm children by being abusive or by creating stress in children's families, and some grandparents have no involvement with their grandchildren. Nevertheless, the evidence is quite clear that across a wide range of societies, grandparents overall make important contributions to the well-being of children

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446200933

Reference Type

Book Section

Year Published

2010

Author(s)

Uhlenberg, Peter
Cheuk, Michelle