Gender Differences in Grandparent Attachment Among Chinese Students

Attachment to grandparents has been deemed important for the healthy development of adolescents. This study tests three competing arguments in regard to how gender may modify adolescent attachment to grandparents in Chinese context. Data used for testing hypotheses are drawn from survey responses of over 500 middle school students from Fuzhou city, China. Regression models assess the alternative hypotheses. The results are in support of son preference claim showing greater attachment to both paternal grandfather and grandmother among boys than girls, while no gender differences are found in attachment to maternal grandparents. Further, gender differences sustain in sample containing all respondents as well as among singleton students only after controlling for grade level, parent education, family’s financial status, parent divorce, co-residence with grandparents, and respondents’ psychological and behavioral adjustments. Findings are discussed in light of gender inequality embedded in the cultural tradition and family dynamics of mainland China.