Intensive Grandmothering? Exploring the Changing Nature of Grandmothering in the Context of Changes to Parenting Culture

Harman, V.; Cappellini, B.; Webster, M.

doi:10.1177/00380385211034983

Intensive Grandmothering? Exploring the Changing Nature of Grandmothering in the Context of Changes to Parenting Culture

Harman, V.; Cappellini, B.; Webster, M.

Authors

V. Harman

Professor Benedetta Cappellini benedetta.cappellini@durham.ac.uk
Professor

M. Webster

Abstract

This paper explores the ways in which the intensification of parenting and the notion of children at risk have influenced grandmothers’ narratives and practices. Interviews with grandmothers who regularly look after their grandchildren, reveal that their practices are framed around the notions of children to be protected, educated and entertained. Such notions reveal that aspects of grandmothers’ roles as protectors, educators, playmates and confidants involved negotiations with parents around the ideal of ‘putting the child first’. The paper argues that intensive parenting has influenced grandmothering but the way this is enacted reveals resistance to certain aspects of intensive parenting.

Citation

Harman, V., Cappellini, B., & Webster, M. (2022). Intensive Grandmothering? Exploring the Changing Nature of Grandmothering in the Context of Changes to Parenting Culture. Sociology, 56(1), 38-54. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385211034983

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Mar 28, 2021
Online Publication Date	Aug 27, 2021
Publication Date	Feb 1, 2022
Deposit Date	Mar 30, 2021
Publicly Available Date	Mar 31, 2021
Journal	Sociology
Print ISSN	0038-0385
Electronic ISSN	1469-8684
Publisher	SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	56
Issue	1
Pages	38-54
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385211034983
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1250530

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This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).