Grandparenting in Europe produced for Grandparents Plus by the Institute for Gerontology at King’s College London, shows that over 40% of grandparents in 12 European countries studied provide child care. This major new research shows a direct relationship between grandparents caring and the availability of affordable formal childcare and support for parents. It points to an emerging childcare crisis as the very grandmothers who are providing care are being expected by governments to stay in work longer.

1. Karen Glaser, Debora Price,
Eloi Ribe Montserrat, Giorgio
di Gessa and Anthea Tinker
King’s College London

2. Outline of presentation
The research study:
1. Funder and timescale
2. The objective of the research
3. The research questions
4. Findings
a)
b)
c)
d)
2
Grandparent characteristics
Living arrangements
Policy
Multivariate analysis

3. 1. The research study – funder
and timescale
Supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian
Foundation through Grandparents Plus and
the Beth Johnson Foundation
Start April 2011/October 2011 – March
2013
Preliminary Findings Briefing June
2012
Final Report May 2013
3

4. 2. The objective of the
research
To investigate variations across Europe in
the diversity of grandparents, how
grandparents contribute to childcare, and
how policies are related to patterns of
grandparenting.
4

5. 3. The research questions
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1. How do the living arrangements of
grandparents vary across European
countries and how have they changed over
time?
2. How do the characteristics of grandparents
vary across 12 European states in terms of
age, number of grandchildren, marital
status, socio-economic status, participation
in paid work, and well-being?

6. 3. The research questions
3. How does the level of involvement of
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grandparents with their grandchildren vary
across Europe in terms of care? What
characteristics of grandparents help to
explain the diversity of care arrangements?
4. How do family policies interact with gender,
family, care and labour market cultures and
structures to shape the levels of involvement
of grandparents with their grandchildren?

7. 4a. Findings Grandparent
Characteristics
How do the characteristics of grandparents
vary across12 European countries? (e.g. age,
number of grandchildren, marital status,
socio-economic status, participation in paid
work, and well-being)
7

8. Data Sources
ELSA (England) and SHARE – Austria,
Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain,
Italy, France, Denmark, Greece,
Switzerland and Belgium.
Both surveys are based on people aged 50
and over are comparable.

9. % of older adults who are
grandparents: 12 European States
9
Source: SHARE, 2004/05; ELSA, 2002/03; own calculations. Weighted
data.

10. Age profile grandparents
Considerable variation in % grandparents
who are of working age (i.e. 50-64 age
group).
England relatively high percentage (41%)
as France and the Scandinavian countries
(e.g. Denmark 50%)
Southern European countries only one
third.

11. Mean number of grandchildren
Source: SHARE, 2004/05; ELSA, 2002/03; own calculations. Weighted data.
•English grandparents also have more grandchildren than their
12
European counterparts, with an average of nearly five (4.9)
compared with an average across the other 11 countries of 4.2.

12. % grandparents with at least one
grandchild aged 0-2
Source: SHARE, 2004/05; own calculations. Weighted data.
•Dutch grandparents most likely have grandchild <
13
followed by French, Danish and Swedish.
3

13. % grandparents in paid work
Source: SHARE, 2004/05; ELSA, 2002/03; own calculations. Weighted
data.
14

14. 4b. Living Arrangements
Examine changes in living arrangements
between grandparents and grandchildren
over time (with or without the parents
being present) in England & Wales, France,
Germany, Portugal and Romania.
15

15. What do we not know
Lack evidence about trends and nature of
grandparent households in Europe
Evidence from the UK suggests grandparents
form largest group among family and friends
awarded kinship care of children.
16

16. Data Sources
Trends in prevalence of grandparent
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households
Multivariate analysis to investigate how
grandparent households vary across selected
European countries and U.S.
Integrated Public Use Microdata Series
International (IPUMS), the ONS Longitudinal
Study for England & Wales, and the German
Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP).

17. Skipped-generation grandparent
households
18

18. The Findings
Increase in prevalence over time in skippedgeneration households in England & Wales (as in
U.S.)
Skipped-generation households much more likely to
have older grandchild – raised by grandparents?
England & Wales and US only countries where in
skipped-generation households see increase in %
households with youngest grandchild 0-5 (thus
decrease in % households with 18+).
19

19. 4c. Research Question
To what extent are national patterns in the
demography of (non-co-residential)
grandparental care influenced by family policy at
national level?
What difference does the nation state make?
What is it about the nation state that makes a
difference?
Focus on intensive grandmaternal care
20

20. Method
Select indicators
Tabulate across ten countries [cross-sectional, 2008 data,
various sources: Eurostat, OECD, GGS, SHARE, EVS,
Eurobarometer, National and International web sources
(statistical and departmental agencies)]
Qualitative (theory driven) analysis of associations with
grandparental care, using a constant comparative method
Note: outcome variable of grandparental care from various
sources, 2004 – 2008 [but these kinds of national patterns
change very slowly]
Select indicators to test with multi-level, multivariate model
21
Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany, France,
the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, Romania

21. Indicators
GRANDPARENTAL CHILDCARE
GRANDPARENTAL CHILDCARE
22

22. Metadata
Will be published as a web resource (2013)
Compares eleven widely differing European countries on
over 100 indicators at a single point in time [2008]
Each country has three Excel ‘books’, one for each set of
indicators (policy, family & gender, labour force)
+ Tables of cross-eleven-country analyses
Summaries of policies will be in the report, and some
comparative tables
23

23. Grandparenting policy
regimes
No assumption of grandparental care
(Denmark, Sweden and to a lesser extent France)
Grandparental care is assumed (explicit or
implicit):
(Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain)
State policies are neutral
(Germany, Netherlands, UK)
 But policy matrix is not the only factor
24

24. Source: SHARE
2004; Eurostat
LFS 2011
In countries where more mothers are out of work, grandmothers play aagreater
In countries where more mothers are out of work, grandmothers play greater
role in looking after grandchildren intensively.
role in looking after grandchildren intensively.
 Childcare is really challenging for those mothers who do work in these countries.
 Childcare is really challenging for those mothers who do work in these countries.
25 Note: No relationship between proportion of mothers working full time and grandparental care, whether daily, weekly or at all

25. Source: SHARE
2004; OECD 2011
 In countries where it is more common for mid-life women not to be in
 In countries where it is more common for mid-life women not to be in
paid work, more grandmothers care for their grandchildren intensively
paid work, more grandmothers care for their grandchildren intensively
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There is aatension between women in their 50s and 60s being in paid
There is tension between women in their 50s and 60s being in paid
work, and their being available to look after their grandchildren (enabling
work, and their being available to look after their grandchildren (enabling
their adult daughters to work)
their adult daughters to work)

26. Source: SHARE 2004;
EVS 2008
 In countries where more of the population believes that aapre-school
 In countries where more of the population believes that pre-school
child suffers with aaworking mother, more grandmothers provide intensive
child suffers with working mother, more grandmothers provide intensive
childcare for their grandchildren
childcare for their grandchildren
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In these countries, it is more socially acceptable/accepted/trusted for
In these countries, it is more socially acceptable/accepted/trusted for
grandmothers to care when mothers work, than for formal childcare
grandmothers to care when mothers work, than for formal childcare
services.
services.

27. Children aged 0-2
%
Children
in formal
care
% of all
children in
childcare
who are
30+ hours
Total % of
children in
formal care in
30+ hours (1)
Gross cost
on average
as %
average
wage
Formal
entitlement
Regional
variation
Satisfaction
public
support for
families
Denmark
73
65
47
8.4
Yes
Low
68.7
Sweden
49
31
15
4.5
Yes
Low
64.4
Portugal
33
31
10
27.8
No
High
11.5
France
40
23
9
25.1
No
Low
49
Spain
39
16
6
30.3
No
High
19
Italy
27
16
4
:
No
High
22
Netherlands
47
6
3
17.5
No
Low
48
Germany
19
9
2
9.1
No
High
37
UK
35
4
1
24.7
No
High
62.4
Hungary
7
5
0.4
4.2
Yes
:
22.5
Romania
8
2
0.2
:
No
High
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 In countries where there isis more use of formal childcare,especially long hours childcare, formal entitlements
 In countries where there more use of formal childcare, especially long hours childcare, formal entitlements
to childcare especially for children aged -0 –– 2, the cost is low, there is low regional variation and high public
to childcare especially for children aged -0 2, the cost is low, there is low regional variation and high public
satisfaction with public support for families, grandmothers play less of aa role in providing intensive childcare.
satisfaction with public support for families, grandmothers play less of role in providing intensive childcare.
These are complex interactions. If you only look at one or two columns, you miss the wider picture.
These are complex interactions. If you only look at one or two columns, you miss the wider picture.

28. Country-level factors to be included in multi-level
analysis
% pre-school
children suffer
Country
with working
mother
England
5
Denmark
2
Sweden
4
The Netherlands
7
Germany
17
France
13
Austria
26
Belgium
11
Spain
11
Italy
13
Greece
27
29
% mothers
aged 25-49
not in paid
work
31
15
17
21
29
25
25
25
37
44
40
% children
<3 in formal
care
% women
50-64 in
paid work
35
73
49
47
19
40
29
35
39
27
25
58
62
72
53
56
50
47
39
40
35
36
Source: OECD 2011, Eurostat (EU-SILC) 2011, European Values Survey Wave 4.

29. 4d. Policy & grandparent
childcare
Testing policy model empirically with data
about intensity and frequency of
grandparental involvement with
grandchildren.
Focus on intensive of grandparent childcare
30

30. Intensive childcare
%
Mean
6
30.0
England (ELSA)
3
29.6
Denmark
4
31.2
Sweden
8
29.4
The Netherlands
11
24.7
Germany
10
31.1
France
12
28.3
Austria
16
29.4
Belgium
18
30.4
Spain
24
26.6
Italy
24
33.7
Greece
Tot SHARE
13
29.3
The outcome is provision of intensive childcare by grandparents
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31. Findings - Multivariate
You need both an understanding of demographic, policy,
cultural-structural factors to explain variations in national
patterns of grandparent childcare.
E.g. More women aged 50 to 64 in paid work, less intensive
grandparent childcare.
E.g. More children 0-2 in formal care, less intensive
grandparent care.
In countries (e.g. Italy, Portugal, Spain) women working fulltime rely heavily on family care and on grandparent childcare in
particular (as there is little formal childcare)
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32. Overall Project Aim:
Theoretical development of understanding
intergenerational relations in the realm of grandparental
care;
Inform understanding of the relevance of policy and
demography in understanding the structure of
grandparenting;
Grandparents Plus: Evidence based campaigning for
recognition and support of the role grandparents play in
children’s lives, especially when they take on the caring
role in difficult family circumstances
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33. Thank you for your attention
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