In contemporary societies with slower economic growth and increased rates of home ownership, asset transfers are of increasing importance for families as a way of transmitting advantages over generations. Compared to the positive impact, however, little is known about how inheritance generates disputes, tensions or dissatisfaction among family members, and how law, policy and practice play a role in this process. Drawing evidence from English court cases, this article develops categories of asset transfers over generations that cause or accentuate disputes in families, and contributes to theoretical debates on family solidarity, conflict and ambivalence by examining how such family conflicts are embedded in a wider family history and established social and institutional systems. The analysis, based on the three-fold framework of contested intentions of transfers, challenged distributions of assets and unexpected timing of transfers, demonstrates that family relations rest on a delicate balance of autonomy and dependency in families. It also highlights the critical interaction between institutional systems and interpersonal family relations. The lack of accurate knowledge and different interpretations of inheritance laws and intestacy rules among potential testators and beneficiaries contribute to family disputes over inheritance.
://hdr.undp.org/en/media/ HDR_2009_Tables_rev.xls. United Nations (2010a) ‘Current status of the social situation, well- being, participation in development and rights of older persons worldwide’, www.un.org/ageing/whatsnew%20PDF/Ageing%20 Comprehensive%20report%202010%202%20September.pdf. United Nations (2010b) ‘International human development indicators’, http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/HKG.html. Yi, C.C. and Farrell, M. (2006) ‘Globalization and the intergenerational relation: cross-cultural perspectives on support and interaction patterns’, Journal of Family Issues
Grandparenting in the 21st century is at the heart of profound family and societal changes. It is of increasing social and economic significance yet many dimensions of grandparenting are still poorly understood. Contemporary Grandparenting is the first book to take a sociological approach to grandparenting across diverse country contexts and combines new theorising with up-to-date empirical findings to document the changing nature of grandparenting across global contexts.
In this highly original book, leading contributors analyse how grandparenting differs according to the nature of the welfare state and the cultural context, how family breakdown influences grandparenting, and explore men’s changing roles as grandfathers. Grandparents today face conflicting norms and expectations about their roles, but act with agency to forge new identities within the context of societal and cultural constraints.
Contemporary Grandparenting illuminates key issues relevant to students and researchers from sociology and social policy, including in the fields of family, childhood, ageing and gender studies.
