Grandfathers: Global Perspectives (Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life)

"This is the first book to bring together international scholars from around the world and from a wide variety of disciplines, to discover what is known about grandfathers and analyse the impact of close involvement with their grandchildren. Within the context of increased divorce rates, single parent families and healthier, more active elders, grandfathers have come out of the shadows and re-invented themselves in a new caring, nurturing role. These original studies demonstrate that grandfather involvement is independently and positively associated with higher levels of child well-being in the UK and South Africa, as well as in Arab and Israeli teenagers, and pre-school children in England. The chapters conclude that societies could benefit from encouraging more grandfathers to become actively involved in their grandchildren's lives and argues the case for grandparent visitation rights in those countries that currently do not have them"- - Springer Dedication 6 Prologue 8 An Unusual Grandfather 8 What One Single-Parent Indian Man Achieved 8 Acknowledgements 10 Contents 12 Contributors 16 List of Figures 20 List of Tables 22 Part I: Overview 23 1: Introduction 24 Making Grandfathers Visible 24 Global Families 26 Demographic Trends Increase Grandfather Availability 29 Divorces, Remarriages and New Family Constellations Affect Grandparenting 32 Importance of Knowledge About Grandfathers’ Involvement for Social Policy 32 Legal Systems 33 Key Questions 34 Organization of the Book 35 References 38 2: A New Niche? The Theory of Grandfather Involvement 42 Introduction 42 Why Do Grandfathers Care? 44 The Evolutionary Perspective 44 The Economic Perspective 47 The Sociological Perspective 48 Explaining the Same Robust Grandparental Investment Pattern from Different Perspectives 49 Complementary, Not Competing, Approaches 51 Family Size, Birth Order and Availability of Other Kin Influence Grandfathering 52 Do Modern Grandfathers Fill a Novel Niche? 53 Grandfather Niche: Single-Teenage-Mother Families 56 Step-Grandfather Niche: Increasing Prevalence 57 Summary of Grandfather Effects in Industrialized Societies 58 References 59 Part II: Grandfathers in Their Global Context 66 3: The Social Construction of Grandfatherhood Across Time in England and the United States 67 Introduction 67 Paternal Authority: Judeo-Christian Legacy 68 The Medieval Family 69 The Early American Settlers 72 The Slave Family in America 73 The Impact of Industrialization: Older Men as a Burden 75 The Victorian Patriarch 77 Older Men in the United States in the Nineteenth to Twentieth Centuries 79 The Coming of Welfare States 80 The Twenty-First Century: New Grandfathers in Multicultural Societies 81 Grandfathers as Companions 82 Conclusion 83 References 84 4: Out of the Shadows: Are Grandfathers Defining Their Own Roles in the Modern Family in Denmark? 88 Introduction 88 Understanding the Dynamics of the Role of Grandfathers in Modern Families 89 Methodology and Danish Grandfathers 90 Grandfathers and Grandchildren—Relationships and Roles 92 Concluding Remarks 103 References 106 5: Grandfathers: The Parents’ Perspective in the United Kingdom 108 Introduction 108 Netmums 109 Difficult Family Relationships 110 Difficulties Following Grandparent Separation/Divorce 111 Parents as Gatekeepers 111 Grandmothers and Grandfathers as Grandchild Carers 113 Grandparents’ Care 114 Overnight Stays 115 Should Grandparents Be Paid to Look After Their Grandchildren? 116 Maintaining Family History 117 Caring for Grandfathers, Sickness, and Managing Death 118 The Stress of Grandparent Illness 118 Should Children Go to Funerals? 119 Money, Wills, and Inheritance 119 Concerns About Abuse 120 Joy and Sadness 121 Conclusion 122 References 122 6: Maori Grandfathers in Aotearoa (New Zealand) 124 Introduction 124 Change and Diversity 125 Demographic Trends and Grandparenthood 126 Culture and Cultural Connectedness 127 The Roles of Maori Grandparents 130 Maori Men as Grandfathers 132 Pride in Maori Whanau and Tribal Heritage, Acknowledging Their Key Male Ancestors 134 Learning from Their Own Grandfathers, Both Intentionally and Unintentionally 135 The Challenge of Reclaiming Maori Language and Knowledge 136 Grandfathers Keeping Whanau Together and Maintaining a Watchful Protective Eye Over the Generations 136 Challenges to the Grandfather Role Through Social and Economic Change 137 Grandparents with Full-Time Care of Grandchildren 137 Policy Responses 139 Conclusion 140 References 141 7: What Do Grandfathers Value? Understanding Grandfatherhood in Asia Through Chinese Grandfathers in Singapore 144 Introduction 144 Chinese Older Persons, Intergenerational Relationships, and Families in Singapore 148 Grandfathers in the Study 150 Heritage 152 Knowing One’s Roots and Identity 152 The Urgency of Learning Chinese/Mandarin 153 Maintaining the Cultural Practice of Naming Grandchildren 154 Value Transmission 155 Passing Down Universal Moral Values 155 Focusing on Family Ties and Filial Piety 156 Other Focuses: Education and Religion 156 The Role of Masculinity in Grandparent–Grandchild Relationships 157 Provision of Support and Care 158 “New Grandfather” as Full-Time Caregiver 158 Financial Support and Rewards 159 Discussion and Conclusion 160 References 161 Part III: Factors Influencing Grandfather Involvement 164 8: Grandfathers in Australia. The Gendered Division of Grandparent Care 165 Introduction 165 Grandfathers in Australia 166 How the Study Was Undertaken 168 The Gendered Order of Providing Childcare 169 Satisfaction with Leisure Time and Domestic Arrangements 171 Grandmothers ‘Nurture’ 172 Grandfathers ‘Get Involved’ 174 Conclusions 177 References 180 9: Good Grandfathers Have a Partner 183 Introduction 183 Basic Arguments; Gender, Marital Status, and Grandparental Involvement 185 Using European SHARE Survey Data 190 Grandparents Having a Spouse in Europe 191 Summary and Discussion 195 References 196 10: Grandfather Involvement in Finland: Impact of Divorce, Remarriage, and Widowhood 200 Grandparents and Spouses 200 Baby Boomers and Grandparenting in Finland 203 Survey Data of Finnish Baby Boomers 205 Married Grandfathers Have Most Contact 208 Why Do Grandfathers Lose Out? 210 References 212 Part IV: Impact on Grandfathers 215 11: Physical Health of Custodial and Caregiving Grandfathers in North America 216 Introduction 216 Barriers to the Inclusion of Grandfathers in Research and Services 218 Physical Health of Custodial Grandfathers 221 Who Are the Caregiving and Custodial Grandfathers? 222 Racial and Ethnic Influences on Custodial Grandfathers’ Health 223 Summary and Future Directions 225 References 226 Part V: Impact on Grandchildren 229 12: Maternal Grandfathers and Child Development in England: Impact on the Early Years 230 Introduction 230 Studying Millennium Cohort Families 233 Grandfathers’ Involvement and Test Scores 234 Conclusion: Why Do Grandfathers Matter? 237 References 239 13: Links Between Grandfather Involvement and Adolescent Well-Being in England and Wales 242 Introduction 242 Original Grandparent Study in England and Wales 243 To What Extent Are Grandfathers Involved with Grandchildren? What Do Grandfathers Actually Do with Their Adolescent Grandchildren? 246 What Factors Are Associated with Grandfather Involvement? 248 The Closest Grandfather 248 Are There Associations Between Grandfather Involvement and Grandchildren’s Well-Being? 252 Findings from In-Depth Interview 254 Conclusions 258 References 259 14: Grandfather Involvement and Adolescent Well-Being in South Africa 261 Introduction 261 Where Are South Africa’s Grandfathers? 262 Grandparental Involvement and Adolescent Well-Being in South Africa 264 Studying Adolescents in South Africa 266 Grandfather Involvement in Cape Town 269 Associations Between Grandfather Involvement and Adolescent Well-Being 270 Conclusions: Understanding the Role of South African Grandfathers 272 References 275 15: Grandfathering and Adolescent Adjustment Difficulties and Pro-social Behaviour Among Israeli Jewish and Arab Adolescents 279 Introduction 279 Culture and Grandparent–Grandchild Relationship: The Israeli Context 281 Studying Israeli Adolescents and Their Grandfathers 281 Youth’s Relationships with Closest Grandfathers 284 Descriptive Statistics: Relationship with Grandfathers by Gender, Lineage, and Cultural Affiliation 285 Grandfathering, Adolescent Adjustment Difficulties, and Prosocial Behaviour 288 Conclusion. Beyond the Stereotypical Grandfather Role 290 References 294 16: Conclusions: What Have We Learnt? 297 Introduction 297 How Involved Are Grandfathers with Their Grandchildren? Stories of Continuity and Change 298 Cultural Transformation and Challenges 302 What Factors Are Associated with Being an Involved Grandfather? 304 What Are the Links Between Grandfather Involvement and Their Own Health and Well-Being? 306 What Are the Links Between Grandparent Involvement and Grandchild Well-Being? 307 Why Are Some Grandfathers Not Involved? 309 What Are the Policy Implications? 311 What Can Be Done to Foster the Involvement of Grandfathers? 312 What Can Family Policy Do? 313 What Legal Barriers Are There to Contact with Grandfathers? 314 So How Can Ongoing Contact Be Achieved Without Conflict? 317 Start of the Journey 318 References 318 Index 322 With Changing Families, More Divorce, More Lone Parents, As Well More Healthy And Active Elders, Grandfathers Have Come Out Of The Shadows And Reinvented Themselves Into A New Caring, Nurturing Role. This Is The First Book To Bring Together International Scholars From Around The World, And From Many Disciplines, To Discover What Is Known About Grandfathers And What The Impact Is Of Involvement With Grandchildren, On Their Own, And On Their Grandchildren's Well-being. Original Studies Demonstrated That Grandfather Involvement Is Associated With Child Well-being In The Uk And South Africa, The Well-being Of Arab And Israeli Teenagers, As Well As Pre-school Children In England, Which Is Independent And Different From Grandmother Involvement. This Involvement Has Also Been Associated With Grandfather Well-being As Long As The Involvement Is Not Intensive. This Collection Concludes That Societies Could Benefit From Encouraging More Grandfathers To Become Involved And Argues The Case For Grandparent Visitation Rights In Those Countries That Currently Do Not Have Them. A New Niche? The Theory Of Grandfather Involvement / David A. Coall, Sonja Hilbrand, Rebecca Sear, And Ralph Hertwig -- The Social Construction Of Grandfatherhood Across Time In England And The United States / Ann Buchanan -- Out Of The Shadows : Are Grandfathers Defining Their Own Roles In The Modern Family In Denmark? / George W. Leeson -- Grandfathers : The Parents' Perspective In The United Kingdom / Anne-marie O'leary And Ann Buchanan -- Maori Grandfathers In Aotearoa (new Zealand) / Judith Davey And Cherryl Smith -- What Do Grandfathers Value? Understanding Grandfatherhood In Asia Through Chinese Grandfathers In Singapore / Leng Leng Thang -- Grandfathers In Australia : The Gendered Division Of Grandparent Care / Briony Horsfall And Deborah Dempsey -- Good Grandfathers Have A Partner / Knud Knudsen -- Grandfather Involvement In Finland : Impact Of Divorce, Remarriage, And Widowhood / Mirkka Danielsbacka And Antti O. Tanskanen -- Physical Health Of Custodial And Caregiving Grandfathers In North America / Julie Hicks Patrick, Danielle K. Nadorff, And Valerie K. Blake -- Maternal Grandfathers And Child Development In England : Impact On The Early Years / Antti O. Tanskanen And Mirkka Danielsbacka -- Links Between Grandfather Involvement And Adolescent Well-being In England And Wales / Jo-pei Tan And Ann Buchanan -- Grandfather Involvement And Adolescent Well-being In South Africa / Lauren Wild -- Grandfathering And Adolescent Adjustment Difficulties And Pro-social Behaviour Among Israeli Jewish And Arab Adolescents / Shalhevet Attar-schwartz -- Conclusions : What Have We Learnt? / Anna Rotkirch And Ann Buchanan. Ann Buchanan, Anna Rotkirch, Editors. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xxi Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-20 A New Niche? The Theory of Grandfather Involvement....Pages 21-44 Front Matter....Pages 45-45 The Social Construction of Grandfatherhood Across Time in England and the United States....Pages 47-67 Out of the Shadows: Are Grandfathers Defining Their Own Roles in the Modern Family in Denmark?....Pages 69-88 Grandfathers: The Parents’ Perspective in the United Kingdom....Pages 89-104 Maori Grandfathers in Aotearoa (New Zealand)....Pages 105-124 What Do Grandfathers Value? Understanding Grandfatherhood in Asia Through Chinese Grandfathers in Singapore....Pages 125-144 Front Matter....Pages 145-145 Grandfathers in Australia. The Gendered Division of Grandparent Care....Pages 147-164 Good Grandfathers Have a Partner....Pages 165-181 Grandfather Involvement in Finland: Impact of Divorce, Remarriage, and Widowhood....Pages 183-197 Front Matter....Pages 199-199 Physical Health of Custodial and Caregiving Grandfathers in North America....Pages 201-213 Front Matter....Pages 215-215 Maternal Grandfathers and Child Development in England: Impact on the Early Years....Pages 217-228 Links Between Grandfather Involvement and Adolescent Well-Being in England and Wales....Pages 229-247 Grandfather Involvement and Adolescent Well-Being in South Africa....Pages 249-266 Grandfathering and Adolescent Adjustment Difficulties and Pro-social Behaviour Among Israeli Jewish and Arab Adolescents....Pages 267-284 Conclusions: What Have We Learnt?....Pages 285-309 Back Matter....Pages 311-327