The Dual Burden of Farm Work and Childcare: A Study on the Stress of Grandparents in Rural Grandparenting——A Case Study of S Village in Chuxiong Prefecture

Abstract

With the progress of urbanisation, more and more young rural workers have been moving to the cities. As a result of this migration, grandparents have been left to look after their children, and thus the demand on rural grandparenting families has risen. Village S in Chuxiong Prefecture has many migrant workers, and grandparenting is a typical way of life. During the busy farming season, grandparents have the dual responsibility of agricultural production and childcare and are thus under great pressure. Through fieldwork, many problems in the care of children by grandparents during the busy farming season have been identified, and these will be discussed in this paper. The group is under all sorts of pressure from physical, mental and social sides. As it is a multi-ethnic village, the problems mentioned above are even more severe.