“My children,” “my grandchildren”: Navigating intergenerational ambivalence in grandparent childcare arrangements in Hong Kong

Published date01 October 2022
AuthorSally Ka‐wing Lo,Jo Lindsay
Date01 October 2022
DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12678
RESEARCH
My children,”“my grandchildren: Navigating
intergenerational ambivalence in grandparent
childcare arrangements in Hong Kong
Sally Ka-wing Lo
1
|Jo Lindsay
2
1
Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin,
New Territories, Hong Kong
2
School of Social Sciences, Monash University,
Clayton, Australia
Correspondence
Sally Ka-wing Lo, Hong Kong Institute of
Asia-Pacific Studies, The Chinese University of
Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong
Kong.
Email: sallylo@cuhk.edu.hk
Funding information
This research was supported by the Faculty of
Arts International Postgraduate Research
Scholarship (20152017) and the Monash
Graduate Scholarship (20152017)
Abstract
Objective: This study contributes in-depth knowledge
about informal childcare and family processes in East
Asian families in Hong Kong in a time of rapid economic
and social development. We explore how families negoti-
ate grandparent childcare and how parents and grandpar-
ents manage intergenerational tensions and conflict.
Background: The common way of understanding inter-
generational relationships in childcare is to focus on the
positive experience of taking care of grandchildren, but
there is limited discussion on the tension and conflicts that
also occur between the generations.
Method: This qualitative study is based on in-depth inter-
views with 14 parents and 12 grandparents about childcare
arrangements for 53 children within East Asian families in
Hong Kong.
Results: Tensions are found among the parents and grand-
parents in childcare provision, and considerable negotia-
tion and ongoing emotional management of relationships
is required.
Conclusion: Grandparent childcare is an important
resource for many families, but it might not suit all. The
issues of autonomy, seniority, power, respect, and different
expectations of care are embedded in established family
dynamics. Some intergenerational problems are unable to
be settled by the family members.
Implications: Grandparent childcare should be a care
option provided for families with young children.
However, it should not be a substitute for childcare ser-
vices and supports outside the home. Professional family
Received: 1 November 2020Revised: 14 September 2021Accepted: 22 January 2022
DOI: 10.1111/fare.12678
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits
use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or
adaptations are made.
© 2022 The Authors. Family Relations published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of National Council on Family Relations.
1834 Family Relations. 2022;71:18341851.
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare
services also should be sensitive to intergenerational family
dynamics.
KEYWORDS
care policy, family dynamics, grandparent childcare, Hong Kong,
intergenerational ambivalence, intergenerational solidarity
Grandparent childcare is common in East Asia and has been studied in China (Chen et al.,
2011; Chen et al., 2000; Chu et al., 2011; Chen & Silverstein, 2000; Silverstein et al., 2006),
South Korea (Jun, 2015; Lee & Bauer, 2010,2013; Oh, 2006,2007), Japan (Holthus, 2010),
Taiwan (Wang, 2011) and Singapore (Low & Goh, 2015; Sun, 2012). These studies have shown
that grandparents provide substantial support to their adult children, especially those in the
workforce (Ko & Hank, 2014; Low & Goh, 2015; Sun, 2012). Some adult children coreside with
their elderly parents to receive their support with childcare, but non-coresidential grandparents
also can provide extensive childcare (Chen et al., 2011; Chu et al., 2011). For example, more
than 60% of working mothers use kin-based childcare in South Korea, with the most support
from grandparents (Lee & Bauer, 2010). In Hong Kong, it was estimated that two thirds of
children are cared for by grandparents (Hampshire, 2015).
Few studies have focused on the grandparentadult children relationship in childcare arrange-
ments. Little known about how families maneuver intergenerational pressures and opportunities
while caring for the third generation. This knowledge is essential for governments planning to reg-
ulate or support grandparent childcare. Research on GRANDPARENT CHILDCARE began in
the 1990s and is currently a rapidly developing field of study contributing to knowledge of family
dynamics and intergenerational relationships.
BACKGROUND
Grandparent childcare and intergenerational relationships
International research from both Western and Asian countries suggests the care patterns,
arrangements, family dynamics, and associated emotions are variable and intricate. The
majority of recent studies have documented the positive experiences and emotions associated
with grandparent childcare. Grandparents in the United States perform the important role
of playmate and friend when parents are not available, especially during the preschool years
(Dunifon et al., 2018). Grandparents in Australia and the United Kingdom often view tak-
ing care of grandchildren as an act of love, and they enjoy this second chanceat parent-
ing, especially when their children have already grown up (Ochiltree, 2006; Wheelock &
Jones, 2002).
The key sources of satisfaction are a pleasure in sharing a childs life and a new sense of
purpose and direction for life (Waldrop & Weber, 2001). Grandparents in Australia perceive
watching grandchildren grow up to be a rewarding experience (Goodfellow, 2003) andsimi-
larly, caregiving to grandchildren brings satisfaction and positive emotions to grandmothers in
Spain (Villar et al., 2012). A recent study from Zhengzhou City in China confirmed that
coresidence with grandparents can moderate parentsworkfamily conflict and facilitate the
emotional well-being of the grandchildren (Mustillo et al., 2021).
However, childcare is not always enjoyable for grandparents. For example, stress is a com-
mon problem among grandparents in the United States providing full-time childcare (Bowers &
Myer, 1999). In Australia, grandparents reflected that caring work is physically and emotion-
ally exhausting.For example, it is demanding to lift or carry young children; childcaring also
NAVIGATING INTERGENERATIONAL AMBIVALENCE IN GRANDPARENT CHILDCARE1835

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