Ask the Expert: Professor of Sociology Jennifer Utrata

MIDDLE-CLASS AND MAXED OUT

Once concentrated in lower-income, immigrant families, or families of color, intensive grandmothering is now becoming widespread in white, middle-class households. Utrata notes, “Many families are relying on grandmothers to bridge the widening gap between intensive jobs and parenting expectations.”

FEMINIZED CAREGIVING

While caregiving roles are slowly evolving, women remain the default helpers. “There’s an unspoken assumption that older women, not men, will be both available and willing to help their children with childcare and related tasks,” Utrata explains, underscoring how deeply rooted gender norms persist, even across generations.

WHEN A YEAR TURNS INTO YEARS

“Grandmothers want to ease their daughters’ stress,” Utrata says, “but what begins as a short-term favor can stretch into years of ongoing care. Grandmothers enjoy developing a unique bond with their grandchildren, but they often have mixed feelings about retiring earlier than planned, skipping social activities or exercise, and making other sacrifices to help grown children manage parenthood.”

AN EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH DR. UTRATA

Faculty

Five Questions with University of Puget Sound Professor of Sociology Jennifer Utrata

With a career spent examining how economic and cultural forces shape gender relations and family life, first in Russia and more recently in the United States, Professor of Sociology Jennifer Utrata brings clarity and compassion…

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