In September 2010, Spain’s grandparents took to the streets to strike against ‘being tired out from caring for their grandchildren for days on end’. At this point I can hear many of you starting to wonder whether this is serious material for an article in SOCIOLOGY REVIEW. Before you dismiss it as irrelevant, read on.
We learn that half of Spanish grandparents look after their grandchildren every day, and for some of them this means more than nine hours each day. Most of this work is unpaid and it clearly plays a very important role in the Spanish economy. As Dr Jaime Rodriquez of the Spanish Society of Gerontology explains: ‘It is a growing problem because grandparents are cheaper than childminders and they are an easy option when the economy is as bad as it is now’ (Quoted in the Guardian, 24 September 2010).
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