Does Grandparenting Pay off for the Next Generations? Intergenerational Effects of Grandparental Care

Abstract: Grandparents act as the third largest caregiver after parental care and daycare in Germany, as in many Western societies. Adopting a double-generation perspective, we investigate the causal impact of this care mode on children’s health, socio-emotional behavior, and school outcomes, as well as parental well-being. Based on representative German panel data sets, and exploiting arguably exogenous variations in geographical distance to grandparents, we analyze age-specific effects, taking into account alternative care modes. Our results suggest mainly null and in few cases negative effects on children’s outcomes. If children three years and older are in full-time daycare or school and, in addition, regularly cared for by grandparents, they have more health and socio-emotional problems, in particular conduct problems. In contrast, our results point to positive effects on parental satisfaction with the childcare situation and leisure. The effects for mothers correspond to an increase of

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource, 69 S.
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Veröffentlichungsversion ; begutachtet

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: BiB Working Paper ; Bd. 2-2022

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie, Anthropologie

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Mannheim
• (who): SSOAR, GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften e.V.
• (when): 2022
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Wiesbaden
• (who): Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung (BIB)
• (when): 2022
• Creator: Barschkett, Mara ; Spieß, C. Katharina ; Ziege, Elena
• Contributor: Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung (BIB)

Further information

• URN: urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-79896-2
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 25.03.2025, 1:45 PM CET