Year: 2018
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Great-grandparents are uniquely situated in the family by simultaneously occupying and managing three intergenerational roles. This paper examines temporal change and gender differences in the self-assessed importance of these roles. Data derive from 370 great-grandparents participating in the Longitudinal Study of Generations between 1994–2005. Intergenerational role importance was measured by the question: “How important is being a (parent/grandparent/great-grandparent) to your sense of self?” Overall, great-grandparent roles were evaluated as less important than grandparent and parent roles; the importance of all roles was stronger for women than men. Patterns of change showed that the importance of great-grandparent and parent roles strengthened with age, the former increasing at twice the rate of the latter, and more so for women than for men. Results suggest that multigenerational roles form a hierarchy of importance, but are not static. Implications are discussed in terms of gender differentiation in intergenerational relationships extending into very late life.
Source: Innovation in Aging
Authors: M Silverstein, V L Bengtson
Institutions: Syracuse University, University of Southern California
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Gender equality
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,977
OpenAlex ID: W2899825754