The research article “Granny as Nanny: Positive Outcomes for Grandparents providing Childcare for Dual-Income Families: Fact or Myth?” (Low & Goh, 2015) provides a medium for understanding occupational deprivation and occupational identity. It is apparent that grandparents experience challenges when providing childcare for their grandchildren. Despite the challenges, grandparents find it meaningful to provide childcare because it fosters their wellbeing. By exploring the concepts of personal and social occupational identities, readers will be able to see how sociocultural factors influence the motivations behind grandparents’ decision to continue providing childcare.
The research article is published in the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships …show more content…
Social identity is “how a person is viewed by others” (Laliberte-Rudman, 2002). Grandparents explain the cultural expectation that the “elder should hold the family together” (Low & Goh, 2015). Grandparents’ social identity is greatly influenced by how they are viewed and evaluated by the Chinese sociocultural norms of a family. Grandparents describe providing care as a way to maintain close relationships with their adult children and grandchildren (Low & Goh, 2015). Grandparents have a social drive to remain connected with their family, so providing childcare was a way for them to maintain and/or enhance those relationships. One grandparent said they “gave in to maintain the relationship with their children-in-law to bring harmony to the household” (Low & Goh, 2015). In the Chinese sociocultural norms, there is an obligation to zhuan zong jie dai (continue the family lineage) (Low & Goh, 2015). Because grandparents value the importance of having grandchildren, grandparents feel they have an obligation to provide childcare. By doing so, adult children are relieved of stress and can focus on fulltime employment. It can be seen here that grandparents are willing to accept the social identity to fulfill cultural obligations and to maintain positive social relationship with their adult children. This was shown when a grandparent says, “taking care of my granddaughter makes us closer. I have become closer to my daughter because she knows that I am taking good care of her daughter. She appreciates me more” (Low & Goh, 2015). Even though there are challenges to providing childcare, grandparents view the occupation as being vital to their sense of wellbeing. The motivation behind grandparents’ engagement in the occupation of providing childcare is largely
The research article is published in the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships …show more content…
Social identity is “how a person is viewed by others” (Laliberte-Rudman, 2002). Grandparents explain the cultural expectation that the “elder should hold the family together” (Low & Goh, 2015). Grandparents’ social identity is greatly influenced by how they are viewed and evaluated by the Chinese sociocultural norms of a family. Grandparents describe providing care as a way to maintain close relationships with their adult children and grandchildren (Low & Goh, 2015). Grandparents have a social drive to remain connected with their family, so providing childcare was a way for them to maintain and/or enhance those relationships. One grandparent said they “gave in to maintain the relationship with their children-in-law to bring harmony to the household” (Low & Goh, 2015). In the Chinese sociocultural norms, there is an obligation to zhuan zong jie dai (continue the family lineage) (Low & Goh, 2015). Because grandparents value the importance of having grandchildren, grandparents feel they have an obligation to provide childcare. By doing so, adult children are relieved of stress and can focus on fulltime employment. It can be seen here that grandparents are willing to accept the social identity to fulfill cultural obligations and to maintain positive social relationship with their adult children. This was shown when a grandparent says, “taking care of my granddaughter makes us closer. I have become closer to my daughter because she knows that I am taking good care of her daughter. She appreciates me more” (Low & Goh, 2015). Even though there are challenges to providing childcare, grandparents view the occupation as being vital to their sense of wellbeing. The motivation behind grandparents’ engagement in the occupation of providing childcare is largely