A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Grandparental Support Varies Asymmetrically According to Family Socioeconomic Status, Parental Gender, and Lineage; 
Authors: Tanskanen, Antti O.; Pettay, Jenny E.; Danielsbacka, Mirkka
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication year: 2026
Journal: Journal of population ageing
ISSN: 1874-7884
eISSN: 1874-7876
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-026-09575-3
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Partially Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-026-09575-3
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/526931027
Self-archived copy's licence: CC BY
Self-archived copy's version: Publisher`s PDF
Several studies have shown that (i) grandparental support varies according to gender and lineage, and (ii) differences in family relationships tend to exist between lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES). However, there is a lack of studies examining whether grandparents provide more support to grandchildren from lower- or higher-SES families in contemporary affluent societies, and whether this differs between maternal and paternal grandmothers and grandfathers. We used population-based data from Germany and applied generalized ordered logit models to examine how grandparental childcare and financial support vary with the SES of grandchildren’s families, measured by parental education and household income. It was detected that grandparents provided frequent childcare help more often to grandchildren whose parents had higher levels of education and income. Specifically, frequent childcare help from maternal grandmothers increased as parental education levels rose. Additionally, paternal grandparents provided more financial support to families in the medium, high, and highest income classes compared to those in the lowest income class. These findings are more consistent with an accumulation pattern than a compensation pattern, suggesting that grandparental support may contribute to the persistence of socioeconomic inequalities between families.
Keywords:
gender, Germany, grandchildren, grandparental investment, lineage, socioeconomic status
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |
Funding information in the publication:
Open Access funding provided by University of Turku (including Turku University Central Hospital). The study is part of the NetResilience consortium funded by the Strategic Research Council at the Research Council of Finland (grant number 364371) and the INVEST flagship funded by the Research Council of Finland (grant number 345546). Additional funding was received from the Research Council of Finland for the KinExposure project (grant number 338869).