Australia’s grandparents do hours of childcare a week — only one in 100 is paid for their efforts
A News Corp survey of grandparents across Australia has found an overwhelming majority provide childcare, but only one in 100 are paid for their help. SEE THE FULL RESULTS
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Exclusive: Grandparents are doing 20 hours of childcare work a week and most of them aren’t being paid.
And 42 per cent of grandparents say they are covering the cost of the kids’ school fees.
A News Corp Australia survey of 1250 people around the country found that more than eight-in-ten grandparents provide childcare to the kids, but only one in 100 say they are paid for their help.
Eighty per cent indicated they had to forgo something in order to support their grandchildren — namely social plans, holidays and time spent with friends.
But for many, it’s a labour of love that they perform willingly.
Eighty-two per cent agree that “helping out with childcare for my grandchildren is a great way to spend quality time with them”.
The average grandparent spends 19.6 hours a week looking after them.
McCrindle social researcher Geoff Brailey told News Corp grandparents’ contributions were a “key force in our economy and our community”.
Mr Brailey said Baby Boomers were the most wealthy generation in terms of assets and, on average, they were generating $133,640 in household income each year.
“This means they can do a lot for their grandkids. So not only would they be contributing to their grandchildren’s education, but also helping in extra ways like buying clothes, toys, entertainment,” Mr Brailey said.
“And that might be when they’re minding the kids. They’re not just sitting in the home with them, they’re going out and doing activities because they have that extra buffer in their income so they can spoil their grandchildren.”
He said because they grew up in an era where “treats” were unlikely, they saw this as a positive way they could give back as they didn’t want their grandchildren to miss out on things that they did.
Grandparents were also likely to spend more time looking after their grandchildren in the future, particularly if wages remained stagnant while childcare costs soared.
Mr Brailey pointed to recent ABS research, which showed mothers working full-time has increased from 17 per cent in 2009 to24 per cent in 2019.
“So more mothers are heading into the full-time workforce, and the proportion of families with children younger than five where both parents work full-time has increased from 14 to 21 per cent in the last decade,” he said.
“It used to be double income with no kids, now it’s double income with kids, which is providing that opportunity for grandparents to help out. But it’s also parents probably saying ‘it’s too expensive to do daycare for the kids’,” he said.
The News Corp survey also revealed that 12 per cent of grandparents volunteer at their grandchild’s school, with the top three activities being school events, reading and fundraising.
Do you have an amazing grandparent? Share your story with grandparents@news.com.au
‘I feel empty when we leave’
Devoted grandmother Mercia Oliver and her husband Basil make a weekly commute to Sydney from Berry, on the NSW South Coast, for a two-night stay to look after their two grandsons.
The couple epitomise teamwork — after dropping Mrs Oliver off at their son and daughter-in-law’s house in Caringbah South, where she minds three-year-old Aston, Mr Oliver drives to Mascot to take care of his daughter’s four-year-son Jesse.
Mrs Oliver, 68, says she and her husband, 73, offer as much support as they can to their children when it comes to childminding.
The doting grandparents arrive for their babysitting duties on Wednesday night and leave on Friday evening.
They steadfastly refuse to take payment for their duties as they do it with love “from the bottom of our hearts”.
Mrs Oliver says she loves taking care of her grandson, who she describes as an “adorable boy” who is “full of character”.
“I absolutely adore him and I feel empty when we leave on the Friday night.”
For the parents of the children, it’s a win-win.
Her son and daughter, Mrs Oliver says, appreciate her efforts and her commonsense approach to parenting, which she describes as “more old school”.
‘Childcare is frightfully expensive’
Melbourne grandmother Bronwyn Beeson minds her two grandchildren Anja, 3, and Tomas, 2, her son’s children, every Friday for 12 hours.
She points to the escalating cost of childcare is a key factor in her decision to take on weekly childminding on a set day.
“Childcare is frightfully expensive — we offered to help them out,” she says.
The children arrive at 8am and leave after dinner.
Ms Beeson, 65, admits that the work of a grandparent can sometimes be exhausting but is ultimately rewarding.
“We have so much time to spend with them — whether it’s at the park or just pottering about. There are no time limits.”
Her house is a screen-free zone. “There is no TV and a focus on playing games,” she says.
Ms Beeson, from Blackburn in Melbourne’s east, transitioned to retirement two years ago, using her long service to take off every Friday.
“I remember my own grandparents. They have more time than the parents. When you’re a parent, you’re always on the spot.”
‘They really get to know you’
David Haliwood is another grandparent who is helping out with childcare to give his own kids a head start financially.
He and his wife Lyn look after their daughter’s two-year-old twins Thomas and Lucy three days a week. They share the duties with the twins’ paternal grandmother.
Mr Hailwood, 72, say it’s a “privilege” to be able to spend so much time with his grandchildren.
“They really get to know you and we have a lot of laughs,” he says.
On the days that they are childminding, the couple, from Capalaba, south of Brisbane, drive 40 minutes to their daughter and son-in-law’s house in Beenleigh, arriving at 6.30am.
Lyn is currently sick with cancer, but she wants to keep helping because she wants to spend as much time with the kids as possible.
‘I am so blessed’
For Kellie McDonough, from Rockhampton in central Queensland, life is one big juggling act.
As well as looking after three of her six grandchildren, the 58-year-old is studying for an accounting degree.
Amazingly, she works tirelessly despite suffering serious health setbacks in recent years.
“My grandkids keep me young and their love is unconditional,” she says. “I am so blessed to have them all in my life.”
Ms McDonough says the role of a grandparent is vastly different to that of a parent as “you have more time to appreciate them”.
She estimates around 25 hours per week are devoted to minding her grandkids, whose favourite activities include visits to the park, the cinema and bowling.
But she wouldn’t have it any other way as they are “the light of my life”.
“It takes a village to raise kids,” she says.
Ms McDonough — who also looks after her elderly mother — says she is particularly proud of her daughter, who is a sole parent and works in the mines.
“She has done it tough and fought the hard fight,” she says.
‘My grandparents were really important to me’
Every Friday, Rachel Gough makes a 50-km round trip from her home in the Adelaide Hills to look after her granddaughter Millie.
It’s her one day off work — she works four days a week — but it’s hardly a chore.
Like other grandparents interviewed, she loves having the time to spend with her granddaughter -daughter, who she lovingly describes as a “bossy britches”.
“My sole job is to babysit and entertain her. I don’t have to worry about making the dinner or doing the washing.”
As well as Mille, 2, she minds Ethan, 12, and Xavier, 8, when they return home from school.
It’s a role she enjoys even more as she thinks back to her own childhood.
“My grandparents were really important to me,” she says.
Originally published as Australia’s grandparents do hours of childcare a week — only one in 100 is paid for their efforts
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