ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a multifaceted analysis of contemporary grandparenthood in Germany. It also provides the background information on demographic, cultural, and welfare state-related developments and conditions that characterize grandparenthood in Germany. Besides the impact of Germany's changing demographic structure, the meaning of grandparenthood and the arrangement of grandparent–grandchild relationships are embedded in longstanding, culturally rooted kinship systems. There are two approaches affiliated to the discourse on ageing which are mainly referred to in empirical research on grandparenthood: role theory, and the model of intergenerational solidarity. Research on grandparenthood in Germany is relatively sparse compared to the US and compared to research on parent–child relations in Germany. The chapter reviews the following aspects of grandparenthood: role meaning, role enactment, and role outcomes. Social policy in Germany does not directly address issues relating to grandparents. Grandparenthood in Germany today is characterized by increasingly overlapping life spans between grandparents and grandchildren.
