Grandparents are often the glue that holds the social fabric of working families together, but sometimes the competing demands of paid employment and intergenerational care can be a difficult balancing act that undermines their economic security.

Researchers from the University of Sydney point to an irony that, in their efforts to help their daughters and daughters-in-law return to the workforce, grandparents – particularly grandmothers – curtail their own work hours and earnings potential.