Meaning and practice of grandmotherhood: a theoretical study based on older women in Quebec

This article sets out to analyze how older women understand grandmotherhood. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 elderly women from Quebec with diverse lives (widowed, married, single, with or without children) drawn from three generations (65-74 years, 75-84 years, 85 years and over) accordi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal on aging 2013-03, Vol.32 (1), p.45-55
Main Authors: Charpentier, Michèle, Quéniart, Anne, Marchand, Isabelle
Format: Article
Language:fre
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Child
Child Rearing - psychology
Family - psychology
Female
Humans
Intergenerational Relations
Quebec
Surveys and Questionnaires
Women - psychology
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Summary:This article sets out to analyze how older women understand grandmotherhood. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 elderly women from Quebec with diverse lives (widowed, married, single, with or without children) drawn from three generations (65-74 years, 75-84 years, 85 years and over) according to principles of qualitative analysis using grounded theory. Based on a constructivist approach, results highlight the evolution of images of grandmotherhood offering the benefit of emotional, playful and comforting roles. This analysis also reveals multiple ways of being a grandmother and commitments that vary according to three principal factors: (1) the personality and life trajectory of the grandmothers; (2) the family situation and role of crisis in the family; and (3) the degree of intimacy with grandchildren. There follows a discussion on the place and role of the family in the lives of older women today.
ISSN:1710-1107
DOI:10.1017/S0714980812000438