The Social and Demographic Contours of Contemporary Grandparenthood: Mapping Patterns in Canada and the United States

Although there exists a growing body ofliterature dedicated to understanding the complexities of grandparenting, few researchers have documented the demographic patterns and social trends that encompass contemporary grandparenthood. Concomitantly, in instances where researchers have described such patterns, data are largely derived from studies profiling American populations. This paper, therefore, first establishes social patterns in Canadian grandparenthood and outlines the demographic context_ within which individuals participate in grandparent-grandchild relation ships. Then, placing these findings in a North Americau context, this paper offers a comparative examination of grandparenthood in Canada and the United States . This research explores grandparents’ rates of survival, the prevalence of grandparenthood, multiple generation families, step-grandparenthood and the ava ilability of grandchildren, in addition, analysis considers rates of intergenerational cohabitation and surrogate parenting as well as grandparents’ participation in additional social roles. Ultimately, while national similarities emerge, there are noteworthy differences between Canada and the United States including: the tuning of grandparenthood; the preva lence of grandparenthood ; multiple generation families; and rates of intergenerational cohabitation.