ABSTRACT
Grandparenting is an important part of the life cycle. Leopold and Skopek (2015a) analyzed four large surveys covering the United States and 24 European countries, using data from 2001 to 2008. The typical life-course pattern for females was to become a mother in her mid-20s, and to cease active parenting in the mid-40s. This usually preceded becoming a grandmother, which was typically in the mid-to-late 40s to mid-50s. Grandmothering again preceded retirement/economic inactivity in the late 50s and 60s. Life expectancy at age 60 was typically in the 80s, with some 25–30 years spent as a grandmother. Men tend to be slightly older at marriage and to live slightly less long than women, so the typical life-course pattern was to become a father in the mid-to-late 20s, and to cease active parenting in the mid-to-late 40s. This usually preceded becoming a grandfather, which was typically between 50 and 60. Grandfathering again preceded retirement/inactivity in the 60s. Life expectancy at age 60 was typically late 70s to 80s, with some 20–25 years spent as a grandfather.
