Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Grandparents (N = 301) were interviewed concerning their relationship with one grandchild; topics included the meaning of the relationship, responsibility toward the grandchild, and satisfaction with the relationship. Grandparent gender by grandchild gender by maternal/paternal grandparent MANOVA's revealed no differences in the relationships associated with grandchild gender or with maternal/paternal grandparent status; nor were there significant interaction effects. Grandmothers expressed greater satisfaction than did grandfathers; grandfathers stressed family extension through grandchildren and the pleasures of indulging grandchildren to a greater extent than did grandmothers. These gender differences may reflect personality development in adulthood and the cultural context of the research.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bengtson

V. L.

and Robertson

J. F.

(eds.), Grandparenthood, Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, 1985.

Kivnick

H. Q.

, Grandparenthood: An Overview of Meaning and Mental Health, The Gerontologist, 22, pp. 59–66, 1982.

Kivnick

H. Q.

, The Meaning of Grandparenthood, UMI Research Press, Ann Arbor, 1982.

Kivnick

H. Q.

, Grandparenthood and Mental Health: Meaning, Behavior, and Satisfaction, in Grandparenthood, Bengtson

V. L.

and Robertson

J. F.

(eds.), Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, 1985.

Erikson

E. H.

Erikson

J. M.

, and Kivnick

H. Q.

, Vital Involvement in Old Age, W. W. Norton, New York, 1986.

Albrecht

, The Parental Responsibilities of Grandparents, Marriage and Family Living, 16, pp. 201–204, 1954.

Neugarten

B. L.

and Weinstein

, The Changing American Grandparent, Journal of Marriage and the Family, 26, pp. 199–204, 1964.

Thomas

J. L.

, Age and Sex Differences in Perceptions of Grandparenting, Journal of Gerontology, 41, pp. 417–423, 1986.

Hagestad

G. O.

, Continuity and Connectedness, in Grandparenthood, Bengtson

V. L.

and Robertson

J. F.

(eds.), Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, 1985.

10.

Birns

, The Emergence and Socialization of Sex Differences in the Earliest Years, Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 22, pp. 229–254, 1976.

11.

Thomas

J. L.

, The Development of Grandparents' Relationships with Their Grandchildren: A Qualitative Study, Doctoral dissertation, West Virginia University, Dissertation Abstracts International, 43, pp. 4211–4205B, 1982.

12.

Robertson

J. F.

, Interaction in Three Generation Families, Parents as Mediators: Toward a Theoretical Perspective, International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 6, pp. 103–110, 1975.

13.

Gilford

and Black

K. D.

, The Grandparent-Grandchild Dyad: Ritual or Relationship?, paper presented at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, San Juan, Puerto Rico, December, 1972.

14.

Robertson

J. F.

, The Significance of Grandparents. Perceptions of Young Adult Grandchildren, The Gerontologist, 15, pp. 137–140, 1976.

15.

Troll

L. E.

Miller

S. J.

, and Atchley

R. C.

, Families in Later Life, Wadsworth Publishing Company, Belmont, California, 1979.

16.

Kahana

and Kahana

, Grandparenthood from the Perspective of the Developing Grandchild, Developmental Psychology, 3, pp. 99–105, 1970.

17.

Rossi

A. S.

, Aging and Parenthood in the Middle Years, in Life-Span Development and Behavior, Vol. 3, Baltes

P. B.

and Brim

O. G.

(eds.), Academic Press, New York, 1980.

18.

Gutmann

D. L.

, Parenthood: Key to Comparative Study of the Life Cycle, in Life-Span Developmental Psychology: Normative Life Crises, Datan

and Ginsburg

(eds.), Academic Press, New York, 1975.

19.

Cherlin

A. J.

and Furstenberg

F. F.

, The New American Grandparent, Basic Books, New York, 1985.

20.

Johnson

C. L.

, Active and Latent Functions of Grandparenting during the Divorce Process, The Gerontologist, 28, pp. 185–191, 1988.

Gender and Perceptions of Grandparenthood

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References