A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Grandparental Support Varies Asymmetrically According to Family Socioeconomic Status, Parental Gender, and Lineage;




AuthorsTanskanen, Antti O.; Pettay, Jenny E.; Danielsbacka, Mirkka

PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC

Publication year2026

Journal: Journal of population ageing

ISSN1874-7884

eISSN1874-7876

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-026-09575-3

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen 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 addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/526931027

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract

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:
genderGermanygrandchildrengrandparental investmentlineagesocioeconomic status

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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).


Last updated on 06/08/2026 07:07:16 AM