Skip-generation family

Skip-generation or skipped-generation families are those in which grandparents are raising their grandchildren. Such situations may be a result of many reasons. In some cases, the death of parents leaves orphaned children to be cared for by their nearest or most suitable relatives, often their grandparents. Some grandparents step in to raise their grandchildren when their children are incarcerated, deployed for military service, or deemed unfit due to substance abuse, neglect, or other issues. Some skip-generation families are formed to give parents a chance to pursue education or a career. This has often been the case in China, where many parents must work in cities far from home and leave their children with their own parents in rural areas.

In the United States, over 7 percent of children lived in a household headed by a grandparent in 2022. This trend had been increasing for ffity years, more than doubling from just 3 percent in 1970, according to the Population Reference Bureau, citing US Census Bureau statistics.

Children raised by custodial grandparents are more likely to live in poverty, be teenagers, and have a disability. Grandparents raising grandchildren often report being under a great deal of stress, both emotionally and financially.

Background

Household composition has varied over time and by culture. In some families, multiple generations under one roof is the norm. People around the world have lived in multi-generation households, in particular in agricultural societies, for centuries. Such arrangements ensured that children were cared for while other members of the family worked.

Among American families of the 1960s and 1970s, grandparents most often served as primary caregivers of grandchildren for extended visits, such as summers or holidays. Such arrangements helped working parents when children were not in school, and this trend continued through the late twentieth century. As American divorce rates increased, a number of single parents and their children began living together with grandparents.

The twenty-first century saw a gradual but steady shift in American households. The number of children who lived with a grandparent increased slowly, and in 2007 and 2008 increased sharply. The Great Recession, which began in 2008, placed tremendous economic strain on families. High unemployment and job uncertainty, as well as increased stresses in the workplace, saw many grandparents stepping in to help with child care. By 2010, 10 percent of American children lived with a grandparent, while 41 percent of those—2.9 million children—were primarily being raised by a grandparent. The spike from 2007 to 2008 was 6 percent. While the Pew Research Center reported that households in which grandparents were primary caregivers of children were more often African American and Hispanic, the increase was greatest among White households.

Topic Today

The economy of the early twenty-first century took a toll on many families. In some cases, parents turned to drug use, and social service groups intervened on behalf of the children. Through the efforts of grandparents' rights organizations, many more grandparents were able to gain custody and keep grandchildren out of foster care.

As of 2011 in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center, 51 percent of grandparents serving as a child's primary caregiver were White, 22 percent were African American, 20 percent were Hispanic, and 3 percent were Asian. Just 20 percent were foreign born, while the majority, 54 percent, were between the ages of forty-five and fifty-nine. Nine percent were seventy years old or older, 63 percent were women, and 24 percent were disabled. Among African Americans, 61 percent reported they had spent at least three years as the grandchild's primary caregiver. The percentage of White grandparent caregivers was 54 percent, 53 percent Latino, and 48 percent Asian.

According to Pew, 49 percent of children living in skip-generation households also live with a single parent. About 43 percent live with no parent. About 8 percent share a home with both parents and a grandparent who is the primary caregiver.

A similar study was conducted by the University of Pittsburgh entitled the "National Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Family Support (NCFS) Caregiver Profile: A Closer Look at Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren." Released in 2022, the report found that in studied families where the grandparents were the child’s primary caregiver and no parents were present 63 percent of those families were White, while 19 percent were Black and 1 percent were Asian. An additional 16 percent were reported as Other races or multiracial.

Custodial grandparents face a number of issues, including providing homework help and emotional support for children who feel lost. Many report struggling to cope with behavioral problems of their grandchildren. This is particularly of concern with teenage boys, who may act out due to stress and anxiety. This is especially true when families are caught in a cycle of substance abuse. In many cases, a parent regains control and returns to reclaim children, only to relapse later. The upheaval of intermittent parenting is stressful for the children and the grandparents.

Many grandparents also cope with stress. In many cases, they may have a strained relationship with their own children—the absent parents. Older grandparents are often coping with health issues, primarily age-related ailments. They fret about their grandchildren's future should anything happen to prevent them from caring for the youngsters. In many cases, the older generation is stretched financially. They may have established a nest egg for their retirement that was not designed for raising children, and often see their finances dwindle.

Many grandparents find they lack social support for their decision to raise grandchildren. They may be unique in their community and face stigma for the events that led to their situation. Some report that they lose friends, who are unable to relate to the grandparents' new family responsibilities. Some may feel they failed as parents. At the same time, however, many grandparents report feeling invigorated by the hectic pace of parenting.

In 2013 in China, an estimated sixty-one million children were left to live with relatives in rural areas while their parents lived and worked in cities because they could not find work close to home. About 75 percent of the children saw their parents once a year, and 5 percent did not see their parents for at least two years. According to CNN, twenty million of the children were left with their grandparents. Many parents reported they were forced to leave their children in their home villages because the Chinese household registration system, hukou, classifies all families as either rural or urban. Hukou denies migrants and their children access to education and health care in urban areas; therefore, parents have been forced to leave children in the country to attend school. In December 2015, the Chinese government announced it would offer residency status to some workers who migrated to urban areas.

In sub-Saharan Africa, many grandmothers have taken custody of grandchildren who have lost parents to HIV/AIDS. While widows often continue to care for their children, many fathers whose wives die do not.

Bibliography

"China to Protect Migrant Workers' 'Left-Behind' Children." BBC, 15 Feb. 2016, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35581716. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Ellis, Renee R., and Tavia Simmons. "Coresident Grandparents and Their Grandchildren: 2012." US Census Bureau, Oct. 2014, www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/demo/p20-576.pdf. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Livingston, Gretchen. "Grandparents Living with or Serving as Primary Caregivers for Their Grandchildren." Pew Research Center, 4 Sept. 2013, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/09/04/grandparents-living-with-or-serving-as-primary-caregivers-for-their-grandchildren/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Livingston, Gretchen, and Kim Parker. "Since the Start of the Great Recession, More Children Raised by Grandparents." Pew Research Center, 9 Sept. 2010, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/09/09/since-the-start-of-the-great-recession-more-children-raised-by-grandparents/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Loo, Jaden. “Grandchildren Living in Grandparent-Headed Households, 2022.” BGSU, 2024, www.bgsu.edu/ncfmr/resources/data/family-profiles/FP-24-18.html#:~:text=The%20share%20of%20minor%20children,in%20a%20grandparent%2Dheaded%20household. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

McKenzie, David, and Serena Dong. "China to Migrant Workers: Take Your Kids with You." CNN, 16 Feb. 2016, www.cnn.com/2016/02/16/asia/china-migrant-children/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

“National Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Family Support (NCFS) Caregiver Profile: A Closer Look at Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren.” University of Pittsburgh, 2022, www.caregiving.pitt.edu/sites/default/files/Grandparent%20Caregiver%20Brief‗FINAL.pdf. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Smith, Melinda, and Jeanne Segal. "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren." HelpGuide, Dec. 2016, www.helpguide.org/articles/grandparenting/grandparents-as-parents.htm. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Washington, Chanell, et al. “In 2020, 7.2% of U.S. Family Households Were Multigenerational.” United States Census Bureau, 13 June 2023, www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/06/several-generations-under-one-roof.html#:~:text=Children%20Living%20With%20Grandparents,were%20all%20in%20the%20Midwest. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Yang, Kelly. "In China, It's the Grandparents Who 'Lean In.'" Atlantic, 30 Sept. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/09/in-china-its-the-grandparents-who-lean-in/280097/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.