Ever wondered about step-grandparenthood and how it fits into the big family picture? Whether you’re a biological grandparent, a step-grandparent in a blended family, or just curious, we’ll break down the numbers and show you what’s really happening in the world of step-grandparents.
Step-Grandparenthood: Breaking Down the Numbers
A rise in step-family structures for women born between 1931 and 1959
Among women born between 1931 and 1941, 10.7% have at least one step-grandchild by the time they reach ages 51–54.
For those born between 1954 and 1959, 13.1% of women are step-grandmothers by that age.
Step-grandparenthood shows a trend of increasing prevalence across birth cohorts and age groups, indicating a rise in step-family structures.
Percentage of Adults Ages 51 and Older with Step-Grandchildren by Partnership Status
Among adults ages 51 and older, 18.2% of women and 15.1% of men who are married or cohabiting have step-grandchildren.
In contrast, only 7.7% of single women and 7.3% of single men who are step-grandparents have step-grandchildren.
The study showed that 12.5% of married or cohabiting women have both biological and step-grandchildren.
Educational Differences in Step-Grandparenthood
College-educated women are less likely to have any step-grandchildren (14.6%) compared to women with a high school degree (19.8%).
College-educated men are much less likely to be grandfathers and less likely to have step-grandchildren.
College-educated men are slightly less likely (9.8%) than college-educated women (14.6%) to report being step-grandparents.
Ethnic Differences in Step-Grandparenthood
African American women are much more likely than women in other racial/ethnic groups to have both biological and step-grandchildren: 27.3% of African Americans vs. 11.7% of Whites and 8.9% of Hispanics.
Partnered African American women are twice as likely to be step-grandmothers compared to Whites.
Prevalence of Biological and Step-Grandparenthood by Gender and Age
By ages 45–50, 7.5% of women and 7.8% of men are step-grandparents.
The highest percentage of adults who are step-grandparents occurs between ages 60 and 64 at 17.3% for women and 15.2% for men.
The likelihood of having a step-grandchild is much lower than having a biological grandchild at all ages.
Women become biological grandmothers earlier in life than men.
By ages 45–50, 27.6% of women are biological grandmothers, while only 17.7% of men of the same age are biological grandfathers.
Life Expectancy Estimates of Grandparent Roles
The remaining years as a step-grandparent are considerably lower than the remaining years as a biological grandparent.
Women between the ages of 35 and 44 have approximately 25 years of life remaining as grandmothers, while men have nearly 20 years as grandfathers.
Among those who reach age 65 when becoming grandparents, women between the ages of 65 and 69 will have nearly 17 more years as grandmothers, and men will have 14 more years as grandfathers.
At ages 65–69, women can anticipate approximately 2.5 remaining years as step-grandmothers, while men of the same age can expect around 2.2 remaining years as step-grandfathers.
Sources:
- Step-grandparenthood in the United States, The Journals of Gerontology.
- Step-grandparenthood in the United States, National Library of Medicine.