Does Race Matter for Grandparent-Grandchild Relationships? Grandparent Closeness in the Multiracial Context

Sarah Schlabach, University of California, Los Angeles

Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey (ECLS), this study investigates grandparent-grandchild relationships in biracial families. Specifically, this paper addresses three questions. First, does level of grandparent-grandchild closeness as reported by the parent differ between biracial children and monoracial children? Second, do differences persist in level of grandparent-grandchild closeness within biracial families when controlling for family socioeconomic factors? Third, is gender of the minority-status parent associated with measureable differences in the level of grandparent-grandchild closeness? Results suggest that biracial adolescents experience less close relationships with their grandparents than their monoracial White counterparts but more close relationships than their monoracial minority counterparts. These finding suggest that as a whole biracials occupy some distinct middle ground when compared to their monoraical counterparts.