Understanding the Grandfather Role in Families

Title

Understanding the Grandfather Role in Families

Author

Bethany K Jensen

Gillian Quaal

Margaret M. Manoogian

Faculty Sponsor

Margaret M. Manoogian

Abstract

As adults continue to live longer and express satisfaction with grandparenting, an evaluation of the roles of grandfathers is warranted. Past research has focused on grandmothers, with little research explicitly investigating the experiences of grandfathers in families. This review assesses sociohistorical trends, demographic influences, gendered patterns, and changes that occur in grandfather-grandchild relationships throughout the lifecourse. We describe the roles grandfathers maintain in their grandchildren’s negotiation of psychosocial and ecological life course tasks, the change and stability they experience relative to sociohistorical trends, and how grandfathers reconfirm masculine norms through generativity and provision of instrumental support. Findings indicate that future research investigating how grandfathers and grandchildren define and value their roles from a dyadic perspective is warranted. Implications include increasing awareness surrounding the significance of the grandfather role across generations.

Subject

Social and Behavioral Sciences

grandfathers

grandchildren

grandparenthood

intergenerational relationships

gender

Rights

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Type

Text

volume

7

Date Published

11/26/2018

Note

Margaret M. Manoogian

Alternative Title

Understanding the Grandfather Role in Families

Identifier

pure/vol7/iss1/4

Language

eng