Mothering Again: Ethnographic Encounters of Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren and the Child Welfare System in Detroit

• In Event: The Heterogeneity of Aging: Precarious Indeed

Abstract

In Detroit, over 13,400 grandparents serve as primary caregivers for their grandchildren, a phenomenon long documented within African American (AA) communities. Formalization of kinship care through policies, such as the Adoption and Safe Families Act, provided AA families with minimal financial support and social services, but expanded the state's dependence on grandmothers. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted with grandmothers to illuminate how aging and family life are shaped by the Detroit child welfare system. Preliminary analysis suggests perceptions of aging and caregiving varied depending on availability of material and social resources and perceived physical bodily limitations.

Presenter

• Fayana Richards, Michigan State University