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Grandchildren's perspectives on relationships with grandparents: The influence of gender across generations

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Abstract

The study examines the relation between gender of grandchildren, parents and grandparents and grandchild-grandparent relationships. Subjects were 120 young adult grandchildren (ages 18–23) who provided information on the 375 grandparents they had known. Subjects reported how close they felt to their grandparents, how much they liked them, and what activities they engaged in with them. Strong effects were found for sex of grandparent and sex of parent. Grandchildren had closer relationships with grandmothers, particularly maternal grandmothers, and they tended to prefer maternal grandmothers over other grandparents. Maternal grandmothers seem to make themselves particularly accessible to grandchildren. The results suggest that the gender of the grandparent can be more important than proximity in determining the quality of grandchild-grandparent relationships.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral and Cultural Sciences, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 78285, San Antonio, Texas

    Ann R. Eisenberg

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  1. Ann R. Eisenberg
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Eisenberg, A.R. Grandchildren's perspectives on relationships with grandparents: The influence of gender across generations. Sex Roles 19, 205–217 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290155

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