Nurturing across generations: Unveiling the dynamics and heterogeneity in grandparental care involvement

Abstract

Rapid development has led to widespread changes in social norms regarding parenting and employment, resulting in increased grandparental childcare responsibilities. Drawing on data from the 2011–2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, this study examines age trajectories and cohort differences in grandparental caregiving in China and explores the relationship between several factors and caregiving levels and trends over time. It shows that grandparents spent an average of 39 h weekly in care, with care hours following an inverted U-shaped trajectory characterized by rapid initial growth and a subsequent decline, reflecting the accommodating needs across family members’ differing life stages. Grandmothers, those with higher education, lower income, and urban residents dedicated more care than grandfathers, those with lower education, higher income, and rural residents, respectively. As grandparents aged, the gender and income gaps narrowed but the education gap widened, while the residential gap remained stable. Later cohorts provided both greater overall levels of care as well as a more sustained upward pattern of caregiving in mid and later life compared to earlier cohorts. The finding highlights an amplified grandparental role for younger cohorts characterized by both enhanced caregiving contributions as well as more extended caregiving well into later life stages.