Being a Good Grandparent: Roles and Expectations in Intergenerational Relationships in Japan and Singapore

Abstract

In Asia, families are shrinking as a result of low fertility and a decline in three-generational households. On top of that, the emerging cohort of “new” grandparents who demand freedom and their own space will have an impact on the re-structuring, functions, and expectations in intergenerational relationships. Drawn from qualitative interviews with three generations conducted in Japan and Singapore, the authors explore the diverse roles of Asian grandparents in the family and show the co-existence of contradictory roles in this article. The experiences and expectations as articulated by the grandparents, combined with voices from the link parents and grandchildren illustrate the grandparents’ over-arching principle of non-interference. However, to what extent is this principle adopted by the grandparents? And how does it co-exist with other roles and expectations? An examination of these questions underscores the dynamics and complexity of intergenerational relationships in changing Asian family contexts.