Mother–Grandmother Co-Parenting in Multigenerational Urban Family in Indonesia

Multi-generational families are common in Indonesia, but research in this context is still very rare. This study is conducted to understand how grandparents and parents in the context of multi-generational families jointly carry out childcare using a qualitative case study approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with grandparents and parents from the lower-middle class who lived together (co-residence) and had children under 7 years old in urban area of Surabaya. The results of the interviews were then analyzed using interactive analysis techniques from Miles and Huberman. The results of the interviews show that family care is the main responsibility and carried out jointly by the mother and grandmother, while the men in the family act as the head of the family, decision-makers, and providers of the main financial needs. Some families can do co-parenting well, but some mothers and grandmothers face conflict in doing co-parenting. This research raises questions for further research in the context of multigenerational families.