Decoding Grandparent Preferences for "Quality Time" with Grandchildren from a Time Diary Perspective

Peter D. Brandon, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)

A theme emerging from the literature on grandparenting is that grandparents prefer spending time with grandchildren over spending time on other activities. But, knowing grandparent’s time preferences, though informative, still leaves much unknown about the actual allocation of time by grandparents to grandchildren. Little knowledge exists about: (a) the hours an older person allots to grandparenting; (b) how those hours for grandparenting are distributed across leisure, unpaid work activities, and days of the week; and, (c) whether grandparenting hours in leisure and unpaid work activities depend upon living arrangements. To fill this gap, I use time use data to analyze time allocation among grandparents. Results: (a) estimate the number of hours that an older person allocates to grandparenting; (b) show grandparenting hours spent on leisure and unpaid work activities during the workweek compared with the weekend; and, (c) determine if grandparenting hours in leisure and unpaid work activities depend upon whether grandparents live with grandchildren.