Policy Press
Four Grandparenting in developing South East Asia: comparative perspectives from Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam
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Abstract
This chapter examines the critical roles played by demographic trends and development levels in explaining cross-country variations in grandparental care in Southeast Asia. Based on analyses of recent national-level surveys of older persons in Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, we examine the extent and circumstances of grandparenting and their consequences from the perspective of grandparents. Results indicate that substantial proportions of older persons live in households with coresident grandchildren and commonly provide grandparental childcare. Although skip-generation households remain uncommon in all three countries, in accordance with development levels they are by far most common in Thailand and least in Myanmar. Differences in economic development and fertility trends account for much of the observed differences in grandparental care by affecting grandchildren availability and migration of adult children. The chapter concludes by discussing the implications of changing grandparenting patterns for the renegotiation and reinterpretation of the intergenerational contract in the coming decades..
Abstract
This chapter examines the critical roles played by demographic trends and development levels in explaining cross-country variations in grandparental care in Southeast Asia. Based on analyses of recent national-level surveys of older persons in Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, we examine the extent and circumstances of grandparenting and their consequences from the perspective of grandparents. Results indicate that substantial proportions of older persons live in households with coresident grandchildren and commonly provide grandparental childcare. Although skip-generation households remain uncommon in all three countries, in accordance with development levels they are by far most common in Thailand and least in Myanmar. Differences in economic development and fertility trends account for much of the observed differences in grandparental care by affecting grandchildren availability and migration of adult children. The chapter concludes by discussing the implications of changing grandparenting patterns for the renegotiation and reinterpretation of the intergenerational contract in the coming decades..
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures and tables v
- List of abbreviations vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Introduction: widening the lens on grandparenting 1
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The demographic and welfare-state contexts of grandparenting
- The demography of grandparenthood in 16 European countries and two North American countries 23
- Grandparental childcare: a reconceptualisation of family policy regimes 43
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Grandparenting in contexts of economic and societal development
- Grandparenting in developing South East Asia: comparative perspectives from Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam 65
- Second-parenthood realities, third-age ideals: (grand)parenthood in the context of poverty and HIV/AIDS 89
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Transnational grandparenting
- Transnational grandparenting: the intersection of transnationalism and translocality 113
- Transnational grandmother–grandchild relationships in the context of migration from Lithuania to Ireland 131
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Gender, intersectionalities and grandparenting
- The composition of grandparent childcare: gendered patterns in cross-national perspective 151
- Class-based grandfathering practices in Finland 171
- Grandfamilies in the United States: an intersectional analysis 189
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Grandparental roles, agency and influence
- How grandparents influence the religiosity of their grandchildren: a mixed-methods study of three-generation families in the United States 211
- Can Chinese grandparents say no? A comparison of grandmothers in two Asian cities 233
- “I am not that type of grandmother”: (non)compliance with the grandmother archetype among contemporary Czech grandmothers 253
- Conclusions: the grandparents’ century? 271
- Index 285
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures and tables v
- List of abbreviations vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Introduction: widening the lens on grandparenting 1
-
The demographic and welfare-state contexts of grandparenting
- The demography of grandparenthood in 16 European countries and two North American countries 23
- Grandparental childcare: a reconceptualisation of family policy regimes 43
-
Grandparenting in contexts of economic and societal development
- Grandparenting in developing South East Asia: comparative perspectives from Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam 65
- Second-parenthood realities, third-age ideals: (grand)parenthood in the context of poverty and HIV/AIDS 89
-
Transnational grandparenting
- Transnational grandparenting: the intersection of transnationalism and translocality 113
- Transnational grandmother–grandchild relationships in the context of migration from Lithuania to Ireland 131
-
Gender, intersectionalities and grandparenting
- The composition of grandparent childcare: gendered patterns in cross-national perspective 151
- Class-based grandfathering practices in Finland 171
- Grandfamilies in the United States: an intersectional analysis 189
-
Grandparental roles, agency and influence
- How grandparents influence the religiosity of their grandchildren: a mixed-methods study of three-generation families in the United States 211
- Can Chinese grandparents say no? A comparison of grandmothers in two Asian cities 233
- “I am not that type of grandmother”: (non)compliance with the grandmother archetype among contemporary Czech grandmothers 253
- Conclusions: the grandparents’ century? 271
- Index 285
