An army of grans and granddads have been drafted in to help “pick up the pieces” of childcare – with nearly two million giving up work to help, a study has revealed.
They are a hidden army of carers – giving a lifeline to parents who need to get back to work and who often cannot afford childcare. The poll shows millions have also cut their hours, taken time off or days off sick to relieve the pressure on their own children.
Grandparents have always helped out with looking after grandchildren – they are the single biggest source of childcare in the country – and they probably always will be. But those aged 55-64 provide the most childcare, followed by those aged 65-74.
This generation of grandparents is expected to stay in work way beyond 65. Three in 10 also have their parents still alive. We are loading them up with caring responsibilities and telling them to work longer too.
One in seven of all grandparents have made changes to their own employment to take over the care of their grandchildren.
More than 400,000 grandparents have also sacrificed the amount they are putting into their pensions to provide for their grandchildren.
In fact, the bank of gran and granddad may be sacrificing as much as £8 billion a year to bridge the gap as work pressures increase, according to the report.
It found around 12 per cent of pensioners estimate they spent more than £1,000 a year on their grandchildren, while a further 17 per cent are giving between £500 and £1,000.
Pressure
A further one in eight grandparents said they felt under pressure to give financial support.
The study suggested that 1.9 million grandparents have cut back on their own working lives for the sake of their grandchildren.
Giving up careers
Three out of four of those who scale down their working lives are grandmothers, which means that many older women are giving up careers to allow younger women to pursue theirs.
And four out of ten grandparents who look after their grandchildren, 2.3 million people, told the study they did so to allow their children to go to work.
Sarah Wellard, director of Policy, Research and Communications, at charity Grandparents Plus, said employers do not recognise the plight of many grandparents.
She said: “What this research really underlines is that grandparents provide a lot of support but employment rights currently available to parents, do not extend to workers who look after their grandchildren.
Significant change
People are having to stay in work much longer and this is something affecting more and more grandparents. At the moment most are retired but that is changing significantly.
Younger grandparents are more likely to provide care, so they will be working and they need the flexibility in work and the rights to help.
They need these rights for them to take leave in the same way that parents have rights.”
The findings of the survey of more than 2,000 Brits, carried out for the charity, alongside Save the Children and the Family and Childcare Trust, suggest that those grandparents who provide most childcare are also most likely to help with money too.
It found strong support among grandparents and the public for the extension of workers’ rights so grandparents can stay in work and still provide support for their grandchildren.
More than half of the wider public, 59 per cent, support grandparental leave to look after a sick grandchild, while 51 per cent support unpaid leave for childcare.
Code of practice
The Government has introduced a new code of practice, which is an extension of the right to request flexible working, to all employees and commenting on this Sam Smethers, Chief Executive of Grandparents Plus said:
“Grandparents Plus strongly welcomes this change. The extension of the right to request flexible working to all has the potential to drastically improve the lives of the millions of grandparents who are juggling work and providing childcare for their grandchildren.
“The key is how it works in practice as we fear that many employers won’t implement it properly. Grandparents tell us what they really need is an entitlement to leave, as they don’t feel confident their employer will give them flexible working.”
