Presented by Jennifer Hampton, Cardiff University . This seminar is part of the Cardiff WISERD Lunchtime Seminar series. If you are an external guest, please contact us (029 2087 9338) to confirm availability of places. For further information please contact WISERD.Events@cardiff.ac.uk
This presentation outlines work-in-progress on the nature of grandparent-grandchild contact across childhood. Particularly pertinent, is the role that grandparents play in providing childcare for working families. Whilst applauded in the way this can enable parents to (re)enter the workforce, this type of childcare has received some negative attention in terms of child-level outcomes. The existing literature also tends to focus on semi-formalized childcare practices in the early years, without considering the influence that grandparents may have outside of these activities. Using data from the Millennium Cohort Study, the pattern of interaction between the two generations, throughout childhood and into adolescence, is mapped. We then turn to consider how this interaction affects children’s future prosocial (helping) behaviours.