Grandparenting and intergenerational solidarity in multi-ethnic Singapore

Singapore is ageing rapidly as a result of declining fertility and increasing life expectancy. The increasing number and proportion of older people has brought to fore issues related to well-being at older ages. Older people lives are being transformed by changes in family structure, living arrangements, ideational shifts, migration and changes in work force participation, among other factors. One key aspect of older people’s lives that has not received much attention in the context of Singapore, despite its importance, is grandparenting. Grandparenting represents a key element of integrational relationships and bonding, and provides a unique way to examine the effect of changing contexts on the ageing experience. Employing qualitative interview method, I examine the interrelationships between the generations—grandchildren, children and grandparents—by focussing on Bengtson’s model of intergenerational solidarity and its various dimensions. I investigate the influence of family by analysing the living arrangements of grandparents, duration of interaction and frequency of visit between grandparents with their children, children-in-law and grandchildren. The thesis also focusses on the exchange of services between generations. I then examine the intergenerational relationships, the ambivalence and disagreements between grandparents and other family members in different dimensions of intergenerational relationship. A key feature of this thesis is that it examines intergenerational solidarity through the lenses of grandparenting and through the perspective of grandparents themselves. The findings based on this approach illustrate the nuances of the interactions, bonds, respect, disagreements, ambiguities that characterize intergenerational relationships in a multi-ethnic society at the cross roads of modernity and tradition. Grandparents see their role as a positive experience which contributes to their wellbeing. The findings on the different dimensions of solidarity and ambivalence contribute to the understanding of the changing expectations, norms and practices that underpin intergenerational bonds.Master of Art