Outdated assumptions about maternal grandmothers? Gender and lineage in grandparent–grandchild relationships

Figures & data

Table 1. Grandparents by relationship to child’s main carer.

Relationship of grandparent to child’s main carer^a	Age 3%	Age 6%
Mother	91	88
Father	78	74
Partner’s mother	75	66
Partner’s father	64	55
Child’s non-resident father’s mother	10	17
Child’s non-resident father’s father	8	14
Mother’s partner	9	8
Father’s partner	5	5
Partner’s mother’s partner	5	4
Partner’s father’s partner	4	3
Child’s non-resident father’s mother’s partner	1	1
Child’s no-resident father’s father’s partner	1	1
Bases (all children with grandparents)
Weighted	4158	3597
Unweighted	N 4158	3600

^aChild’s Main Carer = mother in 97% of cases.

Table 2. Percentage of children with living grandparents described as geographically local and emotionally ‘close’ at age 3, growing up in Scotland.

Relationship of grandparent to main carer^a	% who live locally	% of local grandparents who are ‘close’ to child	Bases (Grandparents who live locally)
			Weighted	Unweighted
Mother	68	94	2845	2768
Father	53	85	2228	2186
Partner’s mother	49	81	2071	2119
Partner’s father	40	73	1675	1721
Child’s non-resident father’s mother	8	52	316	253
Child’s non-resident father’s father	6	46	255	206
Mother’s partner	7	82	275	251
Father’s partner	3	61	114	112
Partner’s mother’s partner	3	68	143	143
Partner’s father’s partner	2	62	69	73
Bases (All children with grandparents)		–	–	–
Weighted	4158	–	–	–
Unweighted	4158	–	–	–

^aChild’s Main Carer = mother in 97% of cases.

Table 3. Grandchild–grandparent interaction when child is aged 6, where there is some contact with the grandparent, growing up in Scotland.

Relationship of the child’s main carer to the child’s grandparent	Sees child at least once a week	Sees child at least once a month	Looks after child at least once a week	Looks after at least once a month	Baby-sits at least once a month	Stays overnight at least once a month	Took child out in the last year	Bases
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	Weighted	Unweighted
‘Maternal grandparents’
Carer’s mother and father (living together)	74	86	48	68	40	31	72	1720	1776
Carer’s mother (who lives alone)	72	85	40	57	40	26	54	1145	1110
Carer’s mother and her partner	73	82	38	58	41	33	63	237	217
Carer’s father (who lives alone)	47	67	14	27	14	14	31	569	538
Carer’s father and his partner	30	59	9	25	17	11	48	117	117
‘Paternal grandparents’
Carer’s partner’s mother and father (who live together)	59	80	31	49	26	19	58	1275	1384
Carer’s partner’s mother (who lives alone)	55	75	22	38	22	16	41	711	736
Carer’s partner’s mother and her partner	42	75	20	32	20	20	54	120	124
Carer’s partner’s father (who lives alone)	38	61	11	18	8	4	20	311	314
Carer’s partner’s father and his partner	29	62	14	20	12	13	38	70	77
Non-resident parent’s mother and father (who live together)	66	89	36	56	42	43	59	148	120
Non-resident parent’s mother (who lives alone)	55	82	32	55	37	44	47	120	100
Non-resident parent’s father (who lives alone)	32	71	9	16	12	19	33	57	47
Any one or more of the grandparent	78	89	50	68	43	34	71	3597	3600