Market replacing family : liberal familialism and the decline of grandparental care in Singapore

Abstract

This paper seeks to explain why there has been a decline in grandparental care in Singapore. I interviewed eight Singaporean grandparents of different genders and races to garner their perspective on childcare arrangements. My findings suggest that although grandparents have become more individualistic, childcare arrangements are ultimately influenced by parents. Grandparents have also increasingly come to favour childcare centres as an alternative childcare provider and believe that the trend of increasing childcare facilities would continue. Furthermore, care provided by families were still reported to be preferable but it remains to be seen whether such an arrangement would last into the future. Key Words: Liberal Familialism, Family, Grandparents, Childcare, Singapore