Grandmothers: A Learning Institution - Basic Education and Policy ...

attention given to grandmothers’ roles inthe development literature, and their limitedinclusion in community developmentprograms, appears to be related both to aseries of negative biases toward them andprogramming models that tend to excludethem. In this section, these constrainingfactors are explored, after which evidenceof grandmothers’ roles in different societiesaround the world is presented.In all societies around the world, seniorwomen, or ‘grandmothers,’ are present incommunities and neighborhoods, and theyare part of most extended families. Giventhis reality, it is surprising that there is verylittle discussion in the development literatureof their role and influence on the livesof children, families, and communities. Ofthe numerous documents that have beenwritten dealing with ECD, education, nutrition,health, and hygiene of young children,very few even mention the role of grandmothers.When they do, they are oftenreferred to in a negative light.There are a series of negative stereotypes,or biases, regarding the role of olderwomen, which tend to discredit theirexperience and limit their inclusion in childdevelopment programs.First, there is a widespread belief thatolder women do not really influence thechild development practices of youngerfamily members, including older siblings.This attitude can be attributed, in part, tothe curricula used in professional trainingschools in most developing countries onchild development, education, health, andnutrition. These curricula are based primarilyon imported, western programs. Suchtraining programs are, therefore, based onthe western, nuclear family in which youngparents are responsible for their own childrenand in which elders play a relativelylimited role. In numerous instances andcountries, child health/development staffhas denied the significance of the role andcontribution of grandmothers until theywere presented with empirical evidencesupporting that substantive role.The second often-heard bias is that whileolder women may be influential in thefamily, their influence is generally “negative.”It is often said that their ideas and practicesare “old fashioned,” “out-of-date,”and/or “harmful.” This attitude is oftenexpressed by child health/developmentworkers in developing countries as well asby program managers in developmentorganizations. For example, health workersoften criticize older women for theiruse of “harmful traditional remedies” andconsequently discredit grandmothers’ rolein child and family health matters. Similarlyearly childhood development practitionersoften criticize grandmothers because theirchildcare practices do not reflect “modernapproaches.”A third bias, that exists particularly wherethere are high illiteracy levels amongstolder women, is that women who are illiterateare not intelligent and, therefore,they are unable to comprehend new ideas.This unfortunate bias equates schoollearning with superior intelligence andundervalues experiential life learning.Yet a fourth stereotype, which afflictsgrandmothers and grandfathers alike, is thewidespread belief that older people are8 UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT