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Step-grandparenthood in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Jenjira J Yahirun PhD
  • Sung S ParkCPhil
  • Judith A Seltzer PhD

Abstract

Objectives This study provides new information about the demography of step-grandparenthood in the United States. Specifically, we examine the prevalence of step-grandparenthood across birth cohorts and for socioeconomic and racial/ethnic groups. We also examine lifetime exposure to the step-grandparent role.MethodsUsing data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the Health and Retirement Study, we use percentages to provide first estimates of step-grandparenthood and to describe demographic and socioeconomic variation in who is a step-grandparent. We use life tables to estimate the exposure to step-grandparenthood.ResultsThe share of step-grandparents is increasing across birth cohorts. However, individuals without a college education and non-Whites are more likely to become step-grandparents. Exposure to the step-grandparent role accounts for approximately 15% of total grandparent years at age 65 for women and men.DiscussionA growing body of research finds that grandparents are increasingly instrumental in the lives of younger generations. However, the majority of this work assumes that these ties are biological, with little attention paid to the role of family complexity across three generations. Understanding the demographics of step-grandparenthood sheds light on the family experiences of an overlooked, but growing segment of the older adult population in the United States.

Suggested Citation

  • Jenjira J Yahirun PhD & Sung S ParkCPhil & Judith A Seltzer PhD, 2018. "Step-grandparenthood in the United States," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(6), pages 1055-1065.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:geronb:v:73:y:2018:i:6:p:1055-1065.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/geronb/gbx164
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Judith A. Seltzer, 2019. "Family Change and Changing Family Demography," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(2), pages 405-426, April.
    2. Emily E. Wiemers & Judith A. Seltzer & Robert F. Schoeni & V. Joseph Hotz & Suzanne M. Bianchi, 2019. "Stepfamily Structure and Transfers Between Generations in U.S. Families," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(1), pages 229-260, February.
    3. Rachel Margolis & Ashton M. Verdery, 2019. "A Cohort Perspective on the Demography of Grandparenthood: Past, Present, and Future Changes in Race and Sex Disparities in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(4), pages 1495-1518, August.
    4. Xi Song & Robert D. Mare, 2019. "Shared Lifetimes, Multigenerational Exposure, and Educational Mobility," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(3), pages 891-916, June.
    5. Małgorzata Kalbarczyk, 2021. "Non-Financial Support Provided to Parents in Stepfamilies: Empirical Examination of Europeans 50+," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-10, May.
    6. Natasha V. Pilkauskas & Christina Cross, 2018. "Beyond the Nuclear Family: Trends in Children Living in Shared Households," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(6), pages 2283-2297, December.

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