Below are some curated definitions of ‘beanpole family’ from across academia.
…term to describe the increased relevance in contemporary families of vertical family relationships between, for example, great-grandparents, grandparents, parents and children.
(Gray et al., 2016: 207)
…the “beanpole family” which contains many different generations within the extended family, but with few siblings in each generation. The “beanpole family” is the result of the historical improvement in longevity and the growth of smaller families, which in turn has diminished the relative numbers of brothers and sisters.
(Haskey, 2021: 42)
The “beanpole” family is characterized by “verticalization” or an increase in the number of generations and a decrease in the number of members. This “long and lean” family contains multiple generations, but family members are few[er] in number.
(Kemp, 2003: 188)
…the “beanpole family,” a vertical extension of family structure characterized by an increase in the number of living generations within a lineage and a decrease in the number of people within each generation.
(Dobriansky et al., 2007: 16)
References
Gray, J., Geraghty, R. and Ralph, D. (2016). Family Rhythms. Manchester University Press.
Haskey, J.C. (2021). Brothers and Sisters: A Social and Demographic Perspective. In: A. Buchanan and A. Rotkirch, eds., Brothers and Sisters: Sibling Relationships Across the Life Course. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kemp, C. L. (2003). The social and demographic contours of contemporary grandparenthood: Mapping patterns in Canada and the United States. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34(2), 187-212.
Dobriansky, P. J., Suzman, R. M., & Hodes, R. J. (2007). Why population aging matters: A global perspective. National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, US Department of State, 1-32.
