Bonusbarnbarn och bonusförföräldrar: Om omsorgsrelationer mellan generationer i ombildade och valda familjer

Grandparents play an increasingly significant role as caregivers in their grandchildren's lives, even in welfare states like Sweden (Bordone et al., 2023; Zanasi et al., 2023). Concurrently, the rise in separations and reconstitutions of partnerships, both among parents and grandparents, has led to an increase in step-relationships (Guzzo, 2016; Lowenstein, 2005). Step-grandparenting and step-grandchild relationships arise as a consequence of these family reconfigurations, as well as through personal choices and life circumstances. These relationships may emerge suddenly, become lifelong, fade over time, or end abruptly, with the step-relative being part of one’s family for either a brief or extended period. Despite the common occurrence of step-relationships between step-grandchildren and step-grandparents, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the significance of these relationships in daily life. This dissertation examines how these relationships are constructed and understood, with the overarching aim of deepening our understanding of how caregiving relationships manifest in these families.
Based on 35 biographical interviews with 15 step-grandparents (aged 64–83) and 13 step-grandchildren (aged 5–19), I explore how step-grandchildren and step-grandparents articulate the ways in which they engage in caregiving within their step-relationships, describe their positions, and interpret their experiences of being step-grandchildren or step-grandparents.
Theoretically, I adopt the perspective that family is something that is actively constructed (Morgan, 1996), particularly through practices like "displaying family" (Finch, 2007). Other significant theoretical tools include the concept of personal life (Smart, 2007), the understanding of caregiving as emotional labour (Mason, 1996), as well as concepts of belonging (Mason, 2018; May, 2013) and recognition (Honneth, 2003).
In this dissertation, I address the role that step-relationships play in the context of step-grandparent or step-grandchild relationships from the perspectives of both parties. The narratives of the informants reveal a variety of approaches to navigating step-relationships, including the influence of gendered norms and ideals of caregiving on intergenerational relations. Step-relations provide opportunities for both giving and receiving care, which for some informants is a new and welcomed experience, while for others (particularly older informants), it is perceived as burdensome. The dissertation demonstrates that step-grandparents play an important role in the lives of step-grandchildren through practical and emotional caregiving. The middle generation is attributed with a significant role in shaping the development of the relationship between step-grandparents and step-grandchildren, with some members of the older generation expressing uncertainty about the role they wish to assume towards their step-grandchildren.
In contrast, step-grandchildren’s descriptions of their relationships with step-grandparents are marked by greater certainty. They see themselves as important to their step-grandparents by bringing joy and care into their lives. The younger generation also exhibits an awareness of the vulnerability of step-relationships, acknowledging that significant step-relatives may disappear, although these informants are more likely to have lost contact with a biological relative in their lives.