Grandparent-sitters: how much their work is worth

Gino is 76 years old, retired, and lives comfortably in a beautiful house on the outskirts of Milan. But he actually works, and a lot: he's a grandfather-and-daughter nanny. Every morning, very early, he takes a bus and then the subway to reach the home of his young daughter Marina, who lives and works in central Milan. Once he arrives at his destination (the only break he allows himself during the journey is an espresso at the bar), Gino finishes getting his two young grandchildren, Giorgio and Annamaria, aged 5 and 3 , ready for school , then picks them up in the afternoon, and plays with them, at home or in a public park if the weather permits, until Maria returns from work.

Like Gino, out of approximately 12 million grandparents in Italy , approximately a third work as grandparent-sitters, meaning they take care of their grandchildren on a regular basis, obviously without pay. Yet it's a full-time job that has significant value, including financially. According to the UIL-Pensionati union, grandparent-sitters in Italy save families an estimated annual amount of between 12 and 19 euros, including the financial support some grandparents provide to their children while babysitting their grandchildren.