“A New Job after Retirement”: Negotiating Grandparenting and Intergenerational Relationships in Urban China

Abstract

Based on interviews with 120 adult only children and their parents in urban Tianjin, this article shows how grandparenting becomes a crucial site for the intergenerational negotiation around childcare, family obligations, and the unfulfilled aspirations for individualisation. While only child couples rely heavily on their parents for childcare, a lot of tensions are involved in this process. Although grandparents do not always willingly embrace the heavy burden of intergenerational childcare, their concern about elderly care sometimes compels them to nevertheless take up the work. Through providing a nuanced picture of grandparenting in urban China, this article seeks to reveal the changing ideas of family obligation and responsibility, as well as the social transformation in China that underpins such change. It argues that the individualisation process is far from finished, as reality is pulling people back to solve problems within the family.

Traditional echoes, contemporary shifts: Chinese college students' views of the “good mother”

“…Recent research suggests a transition taking place within Chinese society with regard to grandparent childcare duties and expectations. Grandparents are speaking out about the “heavy burden” of taking care of grandchildren rather than accepting it as “a natural family obligation,” and they are also indicating a desire for a greater range of lifestyle choices for themselves (Lin & Mao, 2022, p. 54).…”

Extended family collaboration in childcare during the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic

“…Specifically, they have argued that family relationships and responsibilities are not constrained by the nuclear family boundary and highlighted the 'new forms of connectedness and embeddedness' of nuclear families within extended families and even broader social networks (Gilding, 2010: 763;Miller, 2017;Qi, 2021;Widmer and Jallinoja, 2008). Therefore, there is a need for further exploration of parental daily practices and their fluid connections, ongoing negotiations and interactions with grandparents or extended family over childcare, rather than sticking to static parental roles or family structures (Lin and Mao, 2022;Miller, 2017;Qi, 2021).…”

“…Mr Jiang described his family collaboration as follows: Mr Jiang also reported that his mother joined the childcare team in April 2020. With the support of bilateral grandparents (Lin and Mao, 2022;Qi, 2021), Mr Jiang found that childcare responsibilities were easily shared. In some families, the couples also relied on other relatives' support in childcare.…”

“…When the socialist state stopped providing universal free childcare services and commercialised childcare services began to develop, many urban Chinese parents relied on childcare assistance from grandparents to balance their work and care duties (Qi, 2021; Zhang et al, 2019). Recent studies (Lin and Mao, 2022; Qi, 2021; Zhang et al, 2019) have reported the increasing involvement of maternal and even bilateral grandparents in childcare among urban Chinese families. Nonetheless, although these have become regular practices for maintaining intergenerational bonding and interdependency, intergenerational collaboration in childcare is full of tensions because of intergenerational disparities in childcare perceptions and practices (Lin and Mao, 2022; Qi, 2021; Zhang et al, 2019).…”

“…Recent studies (Lin and Mao, 2022; Qi, 2021; Zhang et al, 2019) have reported the increasing involvement of maternal and even bilateral grandparents in childcare among urban Chinese families. Nonetheless, although these have become regular practices for maintaining intergenerational bonding and interdependency, intergenerational collaboration in childcare is full of tensions because of intergenerational disparities in childcare perceptions and practices (Lin and Mao, 2022; Qi, 2021; Zhang et al, 2019).…”