title: [Meaning and practice of grandmotherhood: a theoretical study based on older women in Quebec].
abstract: This article sets out to analyze how older women understand grandmotherhood. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 elderly women from Quebec with diverse lives (widowed, married, single, with or without children) drawn from three generations (65-74 years, 75-84 years, 85 years and over) according to principles of qualitative analysis using grounded theory. Based on a constructivist approach, results highlight the evolution of images of grandmotherhood offering the benefit of emotional, playful and comforting roles. This analysis also reveals multiple ways of being a grandmother and commitments that vary according to three principal factors: (1) the personality and life trajectory of the grandmothers; (2) the family situation and role of crisis in the family; and (3) the degree of intimacy with grandchildren. There follows a discussion on the place and role of the family in the lives of older women today.
authors: Université du Québec à Montréal, QC. charpentier.michele@uqam.ca
authors: Michèle
authors: M
authors: Charpentier
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Quéniart
authors: Isabelle
authors: I
authors: Marchand
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002668:Child Rearing / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D011792:Quebec; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*