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

• Main Authors: Jan Skopek, Thomas Leopold
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research 2017-10-01
• Series: Demographic Research
• Online Access: https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol37/29/

<b>Background</b>: Despite recent advances, the demographic understanding of grandparenthood remains limited. <b>Objective</b>: 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. <b>Methods</b>: 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. <b>Results</b>: 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. <b>Conclusions</b>: Our findings have implications for research on multi-generational social mobility and on the consequences of grandparenthood. <b>Contribution</b>: Our study is the first to analyze how the transition to grandparenthood is socially stratified.