Abstract

Demographic changes open up more opportunities for intergenerational relationships, as grandparents and grandchildren coexist longer and have fewer grandchildren. The objective is to analyze how older men perceive their role as grandfathers and describe their relationships with their grandchildren, through the concept of kinship work. An anthropological investigation was carried out in a total of 9 cases in Santiago de Chile. Semi-structured interviews were conducted both regarding the times, spaces and activities that the grandparents shared with their grandchildren, as well as their perspectives regarding the changes between parenthood and grandparenthood. Three key categories resulted from this: the home, grandparent-grandchild activities, and the role of the grandfather. It was concluded that grandparents describe themselves as "bad breeders" of their grandchildren, that is, not responsible for raising their grandchildren, leaving aside the notion of responsibility or family work when relating to their grandchildren. The role of the grandfather is conditioned by the gender division of labor, even when the grandfather has retired from work. Added to this is the relevance of co-residence in kinship work.