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Demographics: Elders in Massachusetts |
Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren
More than 60,000 grandchildren are
currently living in the care of grandparents in Massachusetts. These
grandchildren typically reside in either skipped-generation households
(households in which the child's parent is not present) or in
shared-grandparenting households (households where the parent is
present but the grandparent claims primary responsibility for the
grandchild). Nearly 2% (29,000) of all children under 18 living in
family households in Massachusetts are living in skipped-generation
households. Another 2.4% (38,000) are living in shared-grandparenting
households. These households often have major differences from each
other and can have very different implications for the grandchild (ren)
and grandparent(s) involved.
Skipped Generation
Three-fourths of skipped-generation
households in Massachusetts are composed of grandparents who are
non-Hispanic white, while the proportion of skipped-generation
households having African-American grandparents is approximately 12%.
Most of the grandparents are quite young. The proportion of
skipped-generation households in which the youngest grandparent is 60
years or older is less than 16%. Most of the households include
school-aged children; the proportion of skipped-generation households
in which all of the grandchildren are under age 6 is approximately
one-fourth. The majority of grandchildren in skipped-generation
households live with both grandparents (about 60%), with an additional
one-third living in a household with their grandmothers only. The
proportion of grandchildren living with a grandfather only is very low
(under 5%). While the majority of grandparents in these households do
not report that they are disabled, approximately 40% of
skipped-generation households include either a single grandparent with
a disability or two grandparents, one of who reports a disability.
Many of these households also experience financial strain, with over
one-third of grandparents in skipped-generation households living at
or below 150% of the poverty level.
Shared Care
In contrast to skipped-generation
households, fewer than half of the shared-care households in
Massachusetts are composed of non-Hispanic white grandparents. In
comparison, the proportion of African-American grandparents in
shared-care households is nearly one-fifth. The remaining one-third of
the grandparents are Latino, Asian, or of another race. The proportion
of households where the youngest grandparent present is 60 years or
older is nearly 40% in shared-care households, while the proportion of
shared-care households in which all grandchildren are under age 6 is
over half. Most of the shared-care households include a grandmother
only, but nearly one-third includes both grandparents. Again, the
proportion of grandchildren living with a grandfather only is low
(14%). Approximately 40% of shared-care households have either a
single grandparent with a disability or two grandparents, one of whom
reports a disability, the same proportion as in skipped-generation
households. Over one-fifth of shared-care households are living at or
below 150% of the poverty level.
Comparison. More than half of the
grandchildren who are living in the care of grandparents in
Massachusetts live in shared-care households where the child's
parent also lives. While shared-care and skipped-generation households
are similar in many respects, there are some major differences.
Shared-care households have a much higher proportion of grandparents
who are nonwhite or Latino. In general, shared-care households have
older grandparents and younger grandchildren than those in
skipped-generation households. Also, grandparents in shared-care
households are much more likely to be raising the grandchild without a
spouse present in the household although, again, the child's parent
is present in these households. Lastly, the proportion of grandparents
living below 150% of the poverty level in shared-care households is
slightly lower than that in skipped-generation households. See Figures
1 through 6 for the details of these comparisons.
The data used for this report are from the Census 2000 Supplementary
Survey, collected by the U.S. Bureau of the Census and available
through their website: www.census.gov.
For more information on grandparents
raising grandchildren in Massachusetts, refer to the
Gerontology
Institute publication Kinship Care in Massachusetts.
--Report by Lindsey A. Baker
Racial Composition of Grandparent
Headed Households
Racial Composition of Grandparent Headed Households
| Status |
Skipped
Generation |
Shared Care |
| White Only |
75.84% |
44.86% |
| Black Only |
12.32% |
17.79% |
| Other |
11.85%
|
37.36% |
Source: Census 2000 Supplementary
Survey
Age of Youngest Grandparent in
Household
Age
of Youngest Grandparent in Household
| Age |
Skipped
Generation |
Shared Care |
| Under 50 |
59.24% |
42.36% |
| 50-59 |
24.98% |
17.79% |
| 60+ |
15.78%
|
39.86% |
Source: Census 2000
Supplementary Survey
Age of Grandchildren in
Household
Age of Grandchildren in Household
| Age |
Skipped
Generation |
Shared
Care |
| All
Under 6 |
26.07% |
50.83% |
| All Over
6 |
50.67% |
33.35% |
| All Ages |
23.26%
|
15.81% |
Source: Census 2000
Supplementary Survey
Grandparents Present in
Household
Grandparents
Present in Household
| Grandparent |
Skipped
Generation |
Shared
Care |
| Grandmother
Only |
36.28% |
53.43% |
| Grandfather
Only |
4.02% |
14.38% |
| Both
Grandparents |
59.70%
|
32.19% |
Source: Census 2000
Supplementary Survey
Disability Status of
Grandparents in Household
Disability
Status of Grandparents in Household
| Disability
Status |
Skipped
Generation |
Shared
Care |
| No
Disability |
59.64% |
57.89% |
| Single
with Disability |
19.99% |
20.86% |
| Couple
with Disability |
20.37%
|
21.25% |
Source: Census 2000
Supplementary Survey
Poverty Status of
Grandparents in Household
Poverty
Status of Grandparents in Household
| Poverty
Status |
Skipped
Generation |
Shared
Care |
| <150% |
34.14% |
21.82% |
| 150-250% |
4.26% |
14.45% |
| 250%+ |
61.60%
|
63.73% |
Source: Census
2000 Supplementary Survey
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