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The Transition to Grandmotherhood: A Quantitative Study*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Ellen M. Gee
Ellen M. Gee
Affiliation:
Simon Fraser University
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Résumé

La plupart des recherches sur les grands-parents ont utilisé une perspective micro-sociale, de type interactif et basée sur la notion de rôle. Comme complément à ce corps de recherche, cet article examine les aspects quantitatifs de la transition vers l'état de grand-mère, dans la perspective du cycle de vie. L'analyse est fondée sur des données rassemblées à partir d'un échantillonnage de 666 femmes, choisies au hasard et nées entre 1905 et 1920. L'enquête téléphonique a été réalisée en 1987–88, à Vancouver et à Victoria. Les résultats démontrent que les variables majeures associées à cette transition vers l'état de grand-mère sont le nombre d'enfants et le niveau d'éducation. Les variations concernant l'âge auquel ces femmes sont devenues grands-mères pour la première fois s'expliquent par l'âge au moment de la première naissance et aussi par une variable relative à l'histoire de vie au travail. La temporalité sociale joue un rôle, mais varie selon le statut de « grand-maternité ”. Les variations dans les préférences relatives au meilleur moment pour devenir grand-parent sont associées à l'âge où les femmes ont expérimenté l'état de grand-mère. Les résultats sont discutés à la lumière de ce qui est généralement admis selon la perspective du cycle de vie et des pistes concernant des recherches à venir sont explorées.

Keywords

Grands-mèrestransitionperspective du cycle de viechronologienormes relatives à l'âge.GrandmothersTransitionLife Course PerspectiveTiming of Life EventsAge Norms.
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 10 , Issue 3 , Fall/automne 1991 , pp. 254 - 270
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1991

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