Karen Glaser, Debora Price, Eloi Ribe Montserrat, Giorgio di Gessa and Anthea Tinker King’s College London

Outline of presentation 2 The research study: 1. Funder and timescale 2. The objective of the research 3. The research questions 4. Findings a) Grandparent characteristics b) Living arrangements c) Policy d) Multivariate analysis

1. The research study – funder and timescale 3 Supported by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation through Grandparents Plus and the Beth Johnson Foundation Start April 2011/October 2011 – March 2013 Preliminary Findings Briefing June 2012 Final Report May 2013

2. The objective of the research 4 To investigate variations across Europe in the diversity of grandparents, how grandparents contribute to childcare, and how policies are related to patterns of grandparenting.

3. The research questions 5 1. How do the living arrangements of grandparents vary across European countries and how have they changed over time? 2. How do the characteristics of grandparents vary across 12 European states in terms of age, number of grandchildren, marital status, socio-economic status, participation in paid work, and well-being?

3. The research questions 6 3. How does the level of involvement of grandparents with their grandchildren vary across Europe in terms of care? What characteristics of grandparents help to explain the diversity of care arrangements? 4. How do family policies interact with gender, family, care and labour market cultures and structures to shape the levels of involvement of grandparents with their grandchildren?

4a. Findings Grandparent Characteristics 7 How do the characteristics of grandparents vary across12 European countries? (e.g. age, number of grandchildren, marital status, socio- economic status, participation in paid work, and well-being)

Data Sources ELSA (England) and SHARE – Austria, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, Denmark, Greece, Switzerland and Belgium. Both surveys are based on people aged 50 and over are comparable.

% of older adults who are grandparents: 12 European States 9 Source: SHARE, 2004/05; ELSA, 2002/03; own calculations. Weighted data.

Age profile grandparents Considerable variation in % grandparents who are of working age (i.e age group). England relatively high percentage (41%) as France and the Scandinavian countries (e.g. Denmark 50%) Southern European countries only one third.

Age profile grandparents 11 Source: SHARE, 2004/05; ELSA, 2002/03; own calculations. Weighted data.

Mean number of grandchildren 12 English grandparents also have more grandchildren than their European counterparts, with an average of nearly five (4.9) compared with an average across the other 11 countries of 4.2. Source: SHARE, 2004/05; ELSA, 2002/03; own calculations. Weighted data.

% grandparents with at least one grandchild aged Dutch grandparents most likely have grandchild < 3 followed by French, Danish and Swedish. Source: SHARE, 2004/05; own calculations. Weighted data.

% grandparents in paid work 14 Source: SHARE, 2004/05; ELSA, 2002/03; own calculations. Weighted data.

4b. Living Arrangements 15 Examine changes in living arrangements between grandparents and grandchildren over time (with or without the parents being present) in England & Wales, France, Germany, Portugal and Romania.

What do we not know 16 Lack evidence about trends and nature of grandparent households in Europe Evidence from the UK suggests grandparents form largest group among family and friends awarded kinship care of children.

Data Sources 17 Trends in prevalence of grandparent households Multivariate analysis to investigate how grandparent households vary across selected European countries and U.S. Integrated Public Use Microdata Series International (IPUMS), the ONS Longitudinal Study for England & Wales, and the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP).

Skipped-generation grandparent households 18

The Findings 19 Increase in prevalence over time in skipped- generation households in England & Wales (as in U.S.) Skipped-generation households much more likely to have older grandchild – raised by grandparents? England & Wales and US only countries where in skipped-generation households see increase in % households with youngest grandchild 0-5 (thus decrease in % households with 18+).

4c. Research Question 20 To what extent are national patterns in the demography of (non-co-residential) grandparental care influenced by family policy at national level? What difference does the nation state make? What is it about the nation state that makes a difference? Focus on intensive grandmaternal care

Method 21 Select indicators Tabulate across ten countries [cross-sectional, 2008 data, various sources: Eurostat, OECD, GGS, SHARE, EVS, Eurobarometer, National and International web sources (statistical and departmental agencies)] Qualitative (theory driven) analysis of associations with grandparental care, using a constant comparative method Note: outcome variable of grandparental care from various sources, 2004 – 2008 [but these kinds of national patterns change very slowly] Select indicators to test with multi-level, multivariate model Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, Romania

Indicators 22 GRANDPARENTAL CHILDCARE Policies Maternity, Paternity and Parental Rights Leave to care for a sick child “Family Friendly” Labour Market Policies Child benefits Childcare and education entitlements and services Retirement policies Long-term care policies Family and Gender Cultures and Structures Attitudes to child care Gender role attitudes Satisfaction with public support for families Use of child care services Use of elder care services Labour Market Cultures and Structures Working patterns of women and mothers by: age of children number of working hours marital status Couples in breadwinner- carer/part-time carer and dual-full- time- worker arrangements Gender pay gap

Metadata 23 Will be published as a web resource (2013) Compares eleven widely differing European countries on over 100 indicators at a single point in time [2008] Each country has three Excel ‘books’, one for each set of indicators (policy, family & gender, labour force) + Tables of cross-eleven-country analyses Summaries of policies will be in the report, and some comparative tables

Grandparenting policy regimes 24 No assumption of grandparental care (Denmark, Sweden and to a lesser extent France) Grandparental care is assumed (explicit or implicit): (Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain) State policies are neutral (Germany, Netherlands, UK) But policy matrix is not the only factor

25 Source: SHARE 2004; Eurostat LFS 2011  In countries where more mothers are out of work, grandmothers play a greater role in looking after grandchildren intensively.  Childcare is really challenging for those mothers who do work in these countries.  In countries where more mothers are out of work, grandmothers play a greater role in looking after grandchildren intensively.  Childcare is really challenging for those mothers who do work in these countries. Note: No relationship between proportion of mothers working full time and grandparental care, whether daily, weekly or at all

26  In countries where it is more common for mid-life women not to be in paid work, more grandmothers care for their grandchildren intensively  There is a tension between women in their 50s and 60s being in paid work, and their being available to look after their grandchildren (enabling their adult daughters to work)  In countries where it is more common for mid-life women not to be in paid work, more grandmothers care for their grandchildren intensively  There is a tension between women in their 50s and 60s being in paid work, and their being available to look after their grandchildren (enabling their adult daughters to work) Source: SHARE 2004; OECD 2011

27 Source: SHARE 2004; EVS 2008  In countries where more of the population believes that a pre-school child suffers with a working mother, more grandmothers provide intensive childcare for their grandchildren  In these countries, it is more socially acceptable/accepted/trusted for grandmothers to care when mothers work, than for formal childcare services.  In countries where more of the population believes that a pre-school child suffers with a working mother, more grandmothers provide intensive childcare for their grandchildren  In these countries, it is more socially acceptable/accepted/trusted for grandmothers to care when mothers work, than for formal childcare services.

Children aged 0-2 % Children in formal care % of all children in childcare who are 30+ hours Total % of children in formal care in 30+ hours (1) Gross cost on average as % average wage Formal entitlement Regional variation Satisfaction public support for families Denmark YesLow68.7 Sweden YesLow64.4 Portugal NoHigh11.5 France NoLow49 Spain NoHigh19 Italy 27164:NoHigh22 Netherlands NoLow48 Germany NoHigh37 UK NoHigh62.4 Hungary Yes:22.5 Romania 820.2:NoHigh34  In countries where there is more use of formal childcare, especially long hours childcare, formal entitlements to childcare especially for children aged -0 – 2, the cost is low, there is low regional variation and high public satisfaction with public support for families, grandmothers play less of a role in providing intensive childcare.  These are complex interactions. If you only look at one or two columns, you miss the wider picture.  In countries where there is more use of formal childcare, especially long hours childcare, formal entitlements to childcare especially for children aged -0 – 2, the cost is low, there is low regional variation and high public satisfaction with public support for families, grandmothers play less of a role in providing intensive childcare.  These are complex interactions. If you only look at one or two columns, you miss the wider picture.

Country % pre-school children suffer with working mother % mothers aged not in paid work % children <3 in formal care % women in paid work England Denmark Sweden The Netherlands Germany France Austria Belgium Spain Italy Greece Source: OECD 2011, Eurostat (EU-SILC) 2011, European Values Survey Wave 4. Country-level factors to be included in multi-level analysis 29

4d. Policy & grandparent childcare 30 Testing policy model empirically with data about intensity and frequency of grandparental involvement with grandchildren. Focus on intensive of grandparent childcare

Intensive childcare 31 %Mean England (ELSA) Denmark Sweden The Netherlands Germany France Austria Belgium Spain Italy Greece Tot SHARE The outcome is provision of intensive childcare by grandparents

Findings - Multivariate 32 You need both an understanding of demographic, policy, cultural-structural factors to explain variations in national patterns of grandparent childcare. E.g. More women aged 50 to 64 in paid work, less intensive grandparent childcare. E.g. More children 0-2 in formal care, less intensive grandparent care. In countries (e.g. Italy, Portugal, Spain) women working full- time rely heavily on family care and on grandparent childcare in particular (as there is little formal childcare)

Overall Project Aim: 33 Theoretical development of understanding intergenerational relations in the realm of grandparental care; Inform understanding of the relevance of policy and demography in understanding the structure of grandparenting; Grandparents Plus: Evidence based campaigning for recognition and support of the role grandparents play in children’s lives, especially when they take on the caring role in difficult family circumstances

34 Thank you for your attention