New intergenerational contracts in the making? – The experience of urban China

ABSTRACT

This article examines the process in which urban families in China renegotiate intergenerational contracts in order to secure old age care and, in particular, emotional support. We argue that as the filial piety tradition, which stresses both caring for and obeying one’s parents, has eroded, parents sense that, unlike in the past, there is no guarantee that their children will care for them. Instead of waiting passively to lose their power over their children, Chinese parents use their resources to reinforce the caring part, but not the ‘obedience’ part, of the traditional family relationship. Based on in-depth interviews with eight families in Guangzhou over a 5-year period, we found that parents and children have negotiated new arrangements concerning emotional communication, practical assistance, spatial proximity and long-term care arrangements.

KEYWORDS:

• Intergenerational relationship
• China
• contract
• housing
• old age care
• social care vs. family care

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. In order to slow down population ageing, the Chinese government ended the One-Child Policy in October of 2015 and permitted each married couple to have two children.

2. This means the two generations live so close together that the parents can prepare a bowl of soup, take it to their child’s home, and the soup will still be warm.

3. This means the two generations live so close together that the children can just leave a spare set of keys with their parents.

4. This means the two generations live so close together that the children come over for dinners, and they only go back to their own home to sleep.

5. Per square metre income in Guangzhou increased by 193% in 2005–2015 and 22% in 2011–2016 (Data source: http://gz.house.ifeng.com/detail/2015_04_18/50353145_0.shtml, http://newhouse.gz.fang.com/2016-05-05/20960911_all.htm, accessed 21/12/2016).