PANKS and PUNKS (Professional Aunts/Uncles With No Kids)

Abstract

PANK and PUNK are two acronyms for ‘Professional Aunt/Uncle with No Kids’. The former was created in 2007 by Melanie Notkin, a Canadian specialising in marketing, to refer to those women without children who are involved in raising their niece/nephews. They can be ‘by blood’, with whom they share family ties, or ‘by choice’, that is, sons and daughters of friends. A PANK or PUNK can be couples, singles or those who do not want to or cannot have child/children on their own but again who love children and want to spend time with them, so who spare special time to look after them, especially on a vacation time. They share some common characteristics such as helping the niece/nephew financially, influencing them, being well-connected and researchers, being devoted nesters, and enjoying travelling with their nieces and nephews while contributing to their personal developments.

Citation

Gökçe, A. (2024), "PANKS and PUNKS (Professional Aunts/Uncles With No Kids)", Tanrisever, C., Pamukçu, H. and Sharma, A. (Ed.) Future Tourism Trends Volume 2 (Building the Future of Tourism), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 225-236. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-970-320241014