The Saliency of the Grandmother-Granddaughter Relationship: Predictors of Association

SUMMARY

This study examined the solidarity of the grandmother-granddaughter tie when older women migrate. The sample, taken from a larger study (N = 308), included 69 relocated women with one or more grandchildren who reported a granddaughter to be the grandchild of most contact. The revised theory of intergenerational solidarity served as the conceptual framework. The results showed the saliency of the grandmother-granddaughter relationship depended upon the dimension examined. Tests of the hypotheses showed associational solidarity was primarily a function of the opportunity structure proximity and, to a smaller extent, age of the grandchild. No significant relationship existed between norms of grand filial expectations and affect for granddaughters and association. Neither did the results support the impact of norms on affect and their subsequent influence on association.