Extended Concerted Cultivation: Intensive Grandparental Childcare and Upper-Middle-Class Reproduction in South Korea

• In Event: Family Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 6: Families and Class Reproduction

Abstract

As women’s participation in the labour market and an ageing population become more prevalent, grandparental childcare also becomes more common. While grandparenting is often understood as a family custom that provides supplementary support to enable parental employment, such an interpretation overlooks the role of the benefit in reshaping family relationships and resource allocation. This study focuses especially on grandparental childcare in upper-middle-class families in South Korea to examine how it contributes to the intergenerational reproduction of class advantage, conceptualised as ‘extended concerted cultivation.' which refers to grandparents' intensive involvement in daily care and educational activities. Based on in-depth interviews with parents and grandparents, this study analyses how caregiving practices are organised and negotiated across generations. Preliminary findings indicate that grandparental care is typically taken for granted by both generations as natural support rather than the result of clear communication and negotiation, reflecting gendered expectations of care responsibility. However, as care becomes a routine aspect of family life, family schedules and decision-making processes have started to reorganise around grandparents' involvement, resulting in both cooperation and tension between generations. Moreover, grandparents are becoming more involved in grandchildren’s educational choices, including the selection of private academies and the supervision of learning. It means an overall increase in the amount of time, investment, and managerial capacity available to the family. As a result, grandparenting not only reduces the burden of caregiving but also integrates family resources and establishes long-term stability and educational strategies in grandchildren’s prospects. That is, this study demonstrates how everyday family interactions function as a mechanism of class reproduction, thereby connecting research on family, care, and social stratification. Furthermore, it provides empirical insight into how private caregiving practices contribute to structural inequality.

Author

• Yeri Song, Yonsei University