News

• New research from Saga reveals that grandparents spent an average of 16 days providing childcare over this year’s summer holidays – saving parents an estimated £960 per child in childcare costs.
• Without ‘grandparenting’, almost 60% of parents would have had to pay for childcare, and a third would have been left unable to work during the school holidays.
• Saga’s Chief Customer Officer, Lisa Edgar, calls for a greater recognition of grandparents in society and a need to rethink the positive contribution of people over 50 aka ‘Generation Experience’.

4^th September 2023: As schools re-open their doors this week, parents and grandparents alike can breathe a sigh of relief. According to new data from Saga, the UK’s specialist in products and services for people over 50, grandparents who provide childcare responsibilities spent an average of 16 days looking after their grandchildren this summer. 

Without the ‘grandparenting’ help, grandparents said that 60% of parents would have had to pay for formal childcare – meaning young families saved an average of £960 per child according to Saga’s estimates.

This doesn’t come without a cost to grandparents however – many of whom have adjusted their lives to provide childcare. Four in 10 grandparents have gone to stay with grandchildren, and one in five have taken annual leave from work to help their families.

Those surveyed, however, were overwhelmingly positive about the time they had with their grandchildren, noting the mutual benefits in helping to keep them fit and active over the summer.

Grandparenting power frees up parents to juggle home and work

Parents with young children know only too well how valuable ‘grandparenting’ is in their attempts to juggle work and home life. Saga’s research found that almost all the parents work whilst their children are cared for (90%).

The research builds upon previous studies from Saga demonstrating the powerful, positive contribution of people over 50, not just to their families but to workplaces and the wider economy ^[1].

Lisa Edgar, Chief Customer Officer at Saga, said:

“As anyone in their 50s, 60s and beyond knows, it’s never a matter of moving from the office chair to the armchair, even for those who have chosen to retire. Our research demonstrates just how much grandparents are supporting their families and the wider economy. It also shows the joy and happiness shared between grandparents and their grandchildren. Today, people are enjoying their active retirement years for much longer and we need to celebrate this period for the positive contribution it is.

Ronald Brooks, from Bristol frequently looked after his grandchildren and now at 84, is looking after his two great grandchildren:

“We thought we’d got rid of all the kids and childminding and then three grandkids suddenly turned up, so we helped bring them up. Now we’ve got great grandkids and we look after them a lot. Childcare is so expensive so we step in to help where we can when they are at school and in the summer break. We’ve grown with them, that’s the beautiful thing.  A lot of grandparents and great grandparents never see their grandchildren. For us it’s been like having our own children again and again really.”

Evie Osborne, 14, from Kent was often cared for by both sets of her grandparents:

“Through my grandparents I’ve learnt about some of the history of our family. I think it’s wonderful for grandparents to pass on their knowledge to their grandkids and have a good time with them. They can do fun things with us and then hand us back to our parents. I love the food my grandparents cook us for dinner, my grandma does the best cheesy pasta and my great Nan does toast with real butter – we never have white bread and real butter at home!”

Paid leave for grandparents

To celebrate and champion the value of grandparents, in 2021 Saga became the first major UK business to introduce a week of paid leave for employees to celebrate the birth of their grandchildren. The paid week off reflects Saga’s belief in the value of experience in the workplace, alongside a recognition of the role of grandparents to their families and society.