Grandparents doing care work: unpacking the contributions and experiences of Korean grandparent caregivers in the US

This qualitative study interrogates the complexities of grandparent caregiving work within immigrant families by asking the following questions: how do foreign-born, Korean grandparent caregivers contribute to immigrant family life in the US? What are their experiences of performing family care work outside their country of origin? The study answers these questions by analysing interview data collected on eight Korean grandparent caregivers from five families residing in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. The study finds that grandparent caregivers buttress their family’s middle-class lifestyle, while also keeping them rooted in Korean traditions; however, while providing care work, grandparents experience moments of stress related to their limited English skills and social isolation, along with moments of joy as they establish connections with other Koreans, come to rely on ethnic institutions, and adapt to the US lifestyle. These findings prompt us to reconsider grandparent caregivers’ contributions to immigrant family life.