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Intergenerational Contributions to Childcare: Potential Policy Responses

Intergenerational Contributions to Childcare: Potential Policy Responses. Alison Smith alison.j.smith@ed.ac.uk University of Edinburgh. Grandparental Care. “spending some time with the grandchildren” Acting as a primary carer whilst the parent goes to work Living locally?

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Intergenerational Contributions to Childcare: Potential Policy Responses

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  1. Intergenerational Contributions to Childcare: Potential Policy Responses Alison Smith alison.j.smith@ed.ac.uk University of Edinburgh

  2. Grandparental Care • “spending some time with the grandchildren” • Acting as a primary carer whilst the parent goes to work • Living locally? • Commuting to care? • Acting as primary carer in the event of parental failure

  3. Theoretical Context • Time use and social justice • Inequality and the life course

  4. Data • GUS - Growing up in Scotland • MCS - Millenium Cohort Study • ELSA - English Longitudinal Study of Ageing • SHARE - Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe • ECHP For further work potentially also: • Time use data - Fusing evidence from time diary studies to evidence from panel studies • ELFE (Growing Up in France) • UK and Scottish Longitudinal Studies - extending current care questions?

  5. Do you look after grandchildren? (SHARE)

  6. Primary Childcare Provider at 10 monthsGUS: Sweep 1 Birth Cohort (weighted)

  7. How much time per week?(GUS sweep 1) • On average those babies cared by their grandparents were cared for by them for 16 hours per week (S.D. 13 hours) • On average those toddlers cared by their grandparents were cared for by them for 17 hours per week (S.D. 12 hours)

  8. Grandparental Leave • Child care leave from the labour market so that grandparents can participate in informal care for their grandchildren. • Building on the model of parental leave

  9. Pensions Credits • Pensions reforms: national insurance contributions • For stay-at-home parents • For carers of disabled persons • For grandparents who provide care? • For pensioners looking to top up their pension?

  10. Should there be grandparental leave? YES! • Grandparents are the ideal informal carers • People should continue to work until their health prevents this • Grandparental leave will help to retain valued staff • Pensions credits should recognise contribution of informal carers

  11. Should there be grandparental leave? NO! • Informal grandparental care is evidence of a dearth of affordable, high quality childcare provision and of minimal paternal participation in childcare • Grandparents should not be primary carers: they’ve already had their turn! • Undermining retirement

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