Some economic complexities of child care provided by grandmothers

This study focuses on grandmothers as providers of child care, exploring some of the economic complexities involved in such arrangements. The sample consists of employed mothers aged 19 to 26 with children under age 5, drawn from the 1984 Youth Cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experience. The study shows that the care of these young children when their mothers are employed is mostly by relatives, primarily grandmothers, and that this pattern is most evident for children of unmarried mothers. Analysis of the grandmothers who provide child care reveals that about one-third are otherwise employed. The work schedules of these grandmothers are compared to the hours of child care they provide and the mother's work schedule; this comparison suggests a more complex negotiation of work and family roles between grandmothers and mothers (as well as between mothers and fathers) than is generally acknowledged. Moreover, we find that one-third of grandmothers are paid in cash for the care of their grandchild, and that whether cash payment is made varies significantly by the number of hours grandmother care is provided as well as by the mother's hourly wage. Payment in cash and/or services is affected by the grandmother's employment status; when she is otherwise employed, such payment is less likely. It is noted that the demand for infant and toddler care is increasing while the availability of grandmother care seems to be on the decline, and that we need further research that will more fully document the adaptations made and their consequences for both children and parents.