India is the second largest country in the world with 72 million elderly persons above 60 years of age as of 2001 compared to China's 172 millions. There is world-wide thrust to bring social integration between the old and young and thereby to construct 'a society for all ages' the relationship between young and old was harmonious in the past. The elderly parents and grand parents were respected and comfortable due to the existence of values like non-materialistic approach, morality and impersonal thinking.
India is the second largest country in the world with 72 million elderly persons above 60 years of age as of 2001 compared to China's 172 millions. There is world-wide thrust to bring social integration between the old and young and thereby to construct 'a society for all ages' the relationship between young and old was harmonious in the past. The elderly parents and grand parents were respected and comfortable due to the existence of values like non-materialistic approach, morality and impersonal thinking.
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India is the second largest country in the world with 72 million elderly persons above 60 years of age as of 2001 compared to China's 172 millions. There is world-wide thrust to bring social integration between the old and young and thereby to construct 'a society for all ages' the relationship between young and old was harmonious in the past. The elderly parents and grand parents were respected and comfortable due to the existence of values like non-materialistic approach, morality and impersonal thinking.
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Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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GRANSPRATENTS :- A PROPOSAL FOR NATIONAL LEVEL SEMINAR OF U.G.C. ON BEHALF OF DEPT. OF SOCIOLOGY, CHANDBALI COLLEGE,CHANDBALI.
Submitted by
Sudhansu Sekhar Mohanty,
Sr. Lecturer in Sociology,
Chandbali College,Chandbali
Bhadrak-756133
One of the spectacular phenomena in the contemporary
scenario that arrests out attention is the ageing of population all over the world. India, by no means, is an exception to this world wide demographic transition as a consequence of which it has been experiencing an exponential growth in the numbers and percentage of grandparents over the years. India is the second largest county in the world with 72 million elderly persons above 60 years of age as of 2001 compared to China’s 172 millions. It has been projected that India’s graying population is likely to increase from the current level of 7% to nearly 9% by 2016 and 21% by 2050. This means the profound change in the nature of age structure of Indian population can be best encapsulated by the growth in the number of elderly grandparents. The ageing population trend, in conjunction with social economic and cultural changes in the; matrics of Indian society ushering in new concerns about changing values, living arrangements, lifestyles and role relationships of elderly grand-parents.
There is world-wide thrust to bring social integration
between the old and young and thereby to construct ‘a society for all ages.’ The relationship between young and old was harmonious in the past. The elderly parents and grand parents were respected and comfortable due to the existence of values like non-materialistic approach, morality and impersonal thinking. The social institutions like joint family, kinship, caste group , religion, village panchayat and traditional ethos have made the younger generations to have an unquestionable regard towards the grand parents. Thus better relationship between the grand parents and grand children promoted greater life satisfaction among them.
The increasing process of industrialization, modernization,
urbaniszation and globalization with all its attendants growing individualism, vulgar materialism and extreme selfishness have cast a negative impact on the relationships between the three generations. Therefore, it has become imperative to put emphasis on inter-generational relationship in the contemporary family structures.
Statement of the Problem.
It is often said that in old age, shrinkage of roles bring about
a chain of deteriorative changes in the life style of people. However, grey-years does bless people with a very significant and satisfying role of grand parents. Becoming grand parents is one of the most cherished moments of an elderly person. With the conventional saying that as interest is more appealing than the actual amount, so are the grand children dearer for grand parents than their offspring”.
In traditional joint family system there were as many as
three generations: the oldest members also live with siblings and their children and grand children together in the same dwelling, cook and eat together, and share the responsibility and managing the common holdings and business, which is partially in nature, provided special status to elderly people as the karta (manager of household afaires) the eldest one, usually grant parents occupy the highest status and control the whole administration of the scared family tradition and prestige. Grandparents treated as repositories of experienced and wisdom and the watch dogs of traditions and customosn. The grandparents also layed the role of historical providing information about cultural and familiar past; that of the role model which grandchildren could follow; of a mentor who could the guide for young with their vunerable experiences and a nurturant to care for the kin in crisis. Moreover, grand parents also played the role of playmates by playing games and sharing mutual interest with their grand children, that of a magical role of a wizard by way of mesaerizing the grand children and finally rhe role of a hero by providing consistent supports to grand children. In fact, grand parents provide maturity knowledge, stability and unconditional love to the lives of their grand children. At the same time, the grand children reciprocate with love, energy, optimism, laughter, activity, youthfulness and meaning to the lives of grand parents. However, in modern time, social landscape has undergone a sea change due to factors such as commercialization, industrialization and urbanization affecting the traditional values like interdependence, scooperation and self- sacrifice. Corresponding with the changes in family system, several salient roles of gransparents have been eroded. The attitude of younger generation towards the elderly changes with the passive times. The change of attitude towars parents and grandparents and children and grandchildren some times is attributed to the decline of authority which is due to the increased standard of living with the passage of time. Grandparenting as a topic of research has increasingly gained attention since the 1980s. beginning with the seminal workof Bengston and Roberstons granparenthood [1980]; scholarly focus on this subject has gained a foothold in gerontology and family studies.
Rationale and significance
Demographers remind us of the reality that the population in
general is living longer resulting in increasing number of families with a grandparent generation. If grandparents are to be considered as helpers to children and youth into the next millennium it is useful to look into the roles and relationship of grandparents from sociological angle of vision.
In view of the strategic role of grandparents in the family setup
and a redical shift in their status and role in the contemporary changed social landscape of indian society. It is felt necessary to focus attention of their phenon of intergereational relationship connecting grandparents with grandchildren and provide recognition to the grandparents with the recognition they deserve. Until recently gransprent hood has been a neglected area of study. Very little work has been done by the sociologists relating to intergereational relationship and granparenthood in india in general and Odisha in particular in order to feel in the research gap the proposed research work has been articulated. It is believed that the findins emanating from the proposed study will have both theoretical and practical relevance. Theoretically it may add to the existing literature pertaining to social gerontology and family studies. Practically it will be of immense use to planners social worker govt and such other institutions and people who have conmverned for the wellbeing of third angers (grandparents). The proposed topic for national seminar may be of great use for the academician and scholars interested in the area for talking of further research and delivetions.