Formation and Dynamics of Skipped Generation Households

Skipped generation household (SGH) formation is being influenced more and more by demographic, social, and economic forces (Hayslip, B., & Kaminski, P. L., Grandparents raising their grandchildren. In Challenges of aging on US Families (pp. 147-169), 2012. Routledge). Recent changes to the established traditional family structure have resulted in significant changes to caregiving and a remarkable weight shift to older members of the family leading to diverse patterns in the homes. In SGHs, grandparents fully assume the responsibility of raising their grandchildren. In other cases where the grandparents become frail, the grandchildren may become the primary caregiver and this presents difficulties for both the grandparents and the grandchildren (Zimmer, Z. & Treleaven, E., The Population Council 46:709−733, 2020). These intergenerational family relationships do not exist in a vacuum; rather, they are part of larger networks of family ties (Goodman, C. C., Early Childhood Research Quarterly 1:1−12, 2007). The chapter examines the formation and dynamics of SGHs in Nigeria in an awareness of the need to investigate the dynamics of SGHs comprehensively. The chapter draws on currently available literature and empirical data from a large-scale study conducted in Nigeria. The chapter reveals that given the existing context of socio-economic and demographic trends, SGH is unavoidable. The trends across the urban–rural differentials showed that SGHs were more prevalent in rural than urban areas in the majority of Nigerian states. In terms of specific variations, the common patterns include grandparents who grew up with their grandparents, male- or female-headed SGH, SGH with old–old family members, and SGH with fewer than four family members. The chapter concludes that there is a great deal of regional variation in the patterns of SGH. Therefore, any intervention targeting SGHs must take into account the diverse patterns.