1/ 🧵 New preprint out today 🤩
With @djsmith90.bsky.social and co we have done deep-dive into grandmothering in the Agta to unpick the role of demography in shaping the role of grandmothers in direct childcare 👇🧪🏺
#Grandmothering #demography #BioAnth #EvPsych
With @djsmith90.bsky.social and co we have done deep-dive into grandmothering in the Agta to unpick the role of demography in shaping the role of grandmothers in direct childcare 👇🧪🏺
#Grandmothering #demography #BioAnth #EvPsych
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2/ 🌍 Across societies, grandmothers often help raising grandchildren, improving outcomes 📈
BUT these relationships are far from universal 🗺️
At the moment, we argue, we have little to understand this diversity in outcomes – what hinders or promotes grandmothering?!?
By exploring the Agta’s population-specific reproductive scheduling and mortality we argue that demography necessarily limits grandmaternal investment because of 3️⃣ trends 👇
because of early first births and later last births many Agta grandmothers are still raising their own children while also having grandchildren until they are 52.
They might not still be giving birth, but young kids don’t look after themselves 🚼🍼
Given high mortality rates many grandmothers were dead (~45-55% kids had dead grandmothers) and after the age of 60 face poor health which limits investment ☠️
Grandmothers aged over 60 did basically no childcare!
the "helping window" from grandmothering is short = on average just 7 years ⬇️
But these fully ‘post reproductive’ grandmothers still did less childcare – why?