Volume 50 - Article 42 | Pages 1247–1264  

Uncovering disability-free grandparenthood in Italy between 1998 and 2016 using gender-specific decomposition

By Margherita Moretti, Elisa Cisotto, Alessandra De Rose

Abstract

Background: Decreasing fertility rates and increasing lifespan affect the time grandparents and grandchildren co-exist. Any changes in the time and length of grandparenthood could alter the quality and the direction of intergenerational exchange. In Italy, a country in which grandparents constitute a fundamental resource for the provision of childcare and where families are the main source of support for individuals, studying grandparents' health evolution is crucial, especially considering the limited evidence available.

Objective: This study aims to uncover the evolution of disability-free grandparenthood at age 65 between 1998 and 2016 in Italy, analysing changes due to the longevity revolution and to grandparenthood–disability prevalence, with a focus on gender differences.

Methods: Disability-free grandparenthood is estimated for Italy for the years 1998 to 2016 and by gender using the Sullivan method. The linear integral decomposition method is implemented to assess the contribution of changes in mortality and the grandparenthood–disability prevalence on the evolution of disability-free grandparenthood over time.

Results: Between 1998 and 2016, Italian grandparents gained disability-free years of life overlapping with their grandchildren. Grandmothers gained 2.6 years (from 9.9 to 12.5 years), and grandfathers 1.8 years (from 8.9 to 10.7 years). Overall, this trend was primarily driven by improvements in health and survival. However, the postponement in the transition to grandparenthood for men slightly slowed down the trend.

Contribution: This study introduces grandparenthood into the estimation of generation overlap and provides the first evidence of a disability-free grandparenthood trend in Italy, where the health of grandparents is crucial to understanding intergenerational relationships and family dynamics.

Author's Affiliation

• Margherita Moretti - Helsingin Yliopisto (University of Helsinki), Finland EMAIL
• Elisa Cisotto - Libera Università di Bolzano, Italy EMAIL
• Alessandra De Rose - Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Italy EMAIL

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

Gender and educational inequalities in disability-free life expectancy among older adults living in Italian regions
Volume 47 - Article 29

Stability and change in family time transfers and workload inequality in Italian couples
Volume 40 - Article 3

Italy: Delayed adaptation of social institutions to changes in family behaviour
Volume 19 - Article 19

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