ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the characteristics and practices of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) grandparents in terms of roles, duties, and responsibilities, and changes in trajectory and identity. Islam is the predominant religion and Arabic is the dominant language in the MENA region, but the area is also the home of substantial numbers of Jews and Christians, and is known as the cradle of the world's three major monotheistic religions. In MENA countries, there is a general emphasis on extended family structure, where the husband, wife, and children live with other family members such as grandparents, uncles, aunts, nephews, cousins, and nieces. MENA countries share common cultural and religious practices. Parental divorce has also been identified by various researchers as one of the factors leading to the changing role of grandparents in children's life. The overall social-cultural context of MENA region is characterized by a space-based patriarchy, whereby men are associated with the public space and women with private space.
