Who becomes a grandparent – and when? Educational differences in the chances and timing of grandparenthood

Jan Skopek and Thomas Leopold
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Jan Skopek: Trinity College Dublin
Thomas Leopold: Universität zu Köln

Demographic Research, 2017, vol. 37, issue 29, 917-928

Abstract: Background: Despite recent advances, the demographic understanding of grandparenthood remains limited. Objective: Our study examines educational differences in the transition to grandparenthood. Comparing East and West Germany, we analyze educational differences in a) the chance of becoming a grandparent, and b) the timing of grandparenthood for both men and women. Methods: We used fertility data across three family generations (German Ageing Survey, N = 2,434 men and women born 1933‒1948) and methods of survival time analysis to study educational gradients in the transition to grandparenthood. Results: We found a strong educational gradient in the chances of grandparenthood among West German women: Lower-educated women’s chances of becoming a grandmother were similar to higher-educated women’s chances of becoming a mother. Conclusions: Our findings have implications for research on multi-generational social mobility and on the consequences of grandparenthood. Contribution: Our study is the first to analyze how the transition to grandparenthood is socially stratified.

Keywords: grandparents; fertility; education; gender; East Germany; West Germany; German Ageing Survey (DEAS) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J1 Z0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:dem:demres:v:37:y:2017:i:29

DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2017.37.29

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