HWSC Research and Scholarship 2021/22 Series: Sheila Counihan, Grandparenting: Exploring the experiences of modern grandparents.

In the context of human society, grandparents can be seen as a biologically integral part of intergenerational family structure. All parents will have parents of their own, thus creating grandparents.

It is important to recognise that modern families have many forms and there are also many non-biological connections within families. The focus of this study does not aim to exclude modern family structures but to explore a role that is traditionally based on intergenerational connections.

Biology is fundamental to family creation. However, sociology is fundamental to family function and maintenance.

This sociological study aims to investigate the role of grandparents within the modern family, with particular emphasis on the different experiences of paternal grandparents when compared with maternal grandparents.