Grandparenting tells us much about our history—it’s important to preserve these stories

Grandparents can play a fundamental role in the family, but they are often overlooked in Australian history.

Grandparents and great friends make a significant contribution by helping to share the burden caring for children.

Important cultural exchanges and friendship may develop with relations between generations. Languages, cooking and history are often passed down from great friends.

Great friends are also increasingly perceived as Part belonging solution To housing availability.

Our preliminary data show generations of Australians received benefits from their grandparents that far exceeded their economic value. Reflecting on the contributions of grandparents to the life of the nation may even suggest new ways of interacting with current ones. immigration debate.

Modern grandparents

Grandparenting as the special role of parents of parents is a relatively modern concept, associated with the changing value of children in society since the 18th century.

The 20th century was marked by significant changes in age structures and kinship networks in countries such as Australia. The main reasons were a decrease in the birth rate, a decrease in infant mortality and an increase in life expectancy. This was also a period when children acquired more emotional and social value.

Divorce without faultwhich came into force in Australia in 1975, Grandparents allowed Apply for a parental order to spend time with your grandchildren. This, in turn, has led to new public discussions about grandparents' rights.

Lately there has been a rise in self-help books for grandparents, as well as a wave of memoirs and anthologies on grandparenting.

With the aging of the population comes greater potential for grandparents. Grandparents help fill gaps in the Social Security system through child care and financial support. Inequalities arise where grandparents are unable to provide support due to resources, conflict and distance.

Much of the demographic talk about the aging population fails to take into account the wealth that comes from relationships with grandparents and grandchild friends. Reported health And social benefits for those who provide such support.

Along with the stories of grandparents, there is a rich history of migration. Almost half of Australia's population has parents born abroadand 41% of people aged 65 and older were born abroad. Their stories provide insight into Australia's national identity and nation-building in the post-war era.

Social media is replete with touching stories of modern grandparents and grandparent relationships that help maintain and strengthen cultural ties. Yaya preparing home-cooked meals for her young neighbors. A nonna and her granddaughter is taken social media by storm just by sharing the everyday. comedy group old school friends using their cultural roots across generations to connect. These relationships and stories reflect broader social and cultural connections.

Many of us have stories about how our grandparents shaped our lives, either directly through our own interactions or indirectly through our parents. The good and the bad.

Generations of grandparents

In April 2025 we asked 2000 adults in Australia about their experiences and attitudes towards grandparents.

Around three-quarters of the grandparents we surveyed told us they had cared for their grandchildren at some stage. The majority of these grandparents provide care at least once a month (65%) and are typically (70%) aged 65 years or older.

Both parents and grandparents reported high satisfaction with the level of care provided (84% and 80%, respectively). Many also believe that this is support that parents or the government should not pay for.

For the first time, we know details about the grandparents of three generations.

Nearly six in ten (58%) adults said they were cared for by grandparents during their childhood. Parents also (56%) now rely on grandparents to help raise their children.

When asked how participants' parents were grandparents, just under half (46%) were unable to answer. Most of them have never talked about their grandparents with their parents.

Time means we may lose the opportunity to have these vital conversations about historical grandparents and how they have changed over time.

While the majority of people we spoke to (73%) said grandparents are an important source of help with childcare, slightly more (77%) believe grandparents are vital to the spread and learning of culture.

Grandparents help create and maintain vital connections from the past and pave the way to the future, especially through culture.

Let's keep our stories alive

We are starting to write the first history of grandparents in Australia. As a multidisciplinary team with a strong commitment to inclusive and collaborative research, we are working to create a living history of grandparents in Australia since the Second World War.

As part of the project, we will be interviewing people of Italian, Greek, Vietnamese, English and other heritages to learn more about the history of grandparents in Australia. We are also creating a guide to conducting oral histories with grandparents. You can receive updates about the project by registering at grandparentsaustralia.net.

While we recognize that grandparents can be a source of love and care, they can equally be associated with sadness, inequality and trauma. One grandson, whose parents were refugees from Vietnam, recalled that

“When it was Grandparents' Day at school, I remember how envious I was of the other children. […] because of the Vietnam War and the history of migration, for me growing up, grandparents were far away. We loved them, they loved us, but they were just far away.”

Without important conversations about grandparents, we may lose the opportunity to preserve and understand the stories of family, care, and culture that are part of our national and transnational history.

This article has been republished from Talk under Creative Commons license. Read original article.