In a decade where same sex parenting was often a hot topic, it may be surprising for many people to learn that  one of the fastest growing demographics of caregivers  is not homosexual couples but rather retirees.After analyzing data from U.S. Census Bureau, the Pew Research Group reported last week that 1 in 10 children reside with a grandparent. That’s 8 % more than in 2000 with the most growth (5 %) occurring between 2007 and 2008. More than 60% of said children live with their grandmothers but half also have a single parent cohabiting with them.In 2000, black and Hispanic grandparents had disproportionately higher numbers as caregivers than whites. However, Pew reports that biggest growth in grandparent caregivers occurred in white families,”The number of white grandparents primarily responsible for their grandchildren rose by 9 percent from 2007 to 2008, compared with an increase of just 2 percent among black grandparents and no change among Hispanic grandparents.”Though the report doesn’t makes reference to it,  the change in home dynamics seems to be related to The Recession. With higher rates of unemployment and home foreclosures it might make sense for many single parents to go back home to live with their mothers and fathers. But Pew reports that 18% of grandparent caregivers are living below the poverty line. (Pew did not provide data on how many of these grandparent caregivers were still employed or living off social security.) Not exactly an encouraging statistic.

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