Grandfathers in Australia. The Gendered Division of Grandparent Care

Abstract

Older Australian men are becoming grandfathers at a time when social mores about fathering are encouraging father involvement in children’s lives. At the same time, Australian grandmothers continue to have more caring responsibilities for grandchildren, in keeping with Australia’s maternalist culture. The mixed-methodology research presented here found that a substantial proportion of Australian grandfathers report caring for grandchildren. However, similarly to comparisons between fathers and mothers, grandfathers do less of the labour associated with caring for children and are more satisfied with their leisure time than grandmothers. Qualitative interviews illustrate how grandfathers are cast in a supportive carer role alongside grandmothers, with more freedom to opt in and out of care. Nonetheless, the contributions of grandfathers as male role models and grandchildren’s playmates are highly valued.