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Abstract
This study aims to explore the importance of family financial support from adult children to their older parents in Hong Kong and South Korea. These two societies share some similar social circumstances. For example, both societies are facing dynamically rapid ageing and possessing the traditional Confucian value of filial piety. Based on these social contexts, we firstly investigate the conceptual framework on family financial support by reviewing related theories. We secondly examine the World Bank pension multi-pillars of both societies to understand the role of family financial support to secure older people’s income. We thirdly address relevant social policy programmes to examine how both governments encourage family financial support. We fourthly employ empirical data to investigate how family financial support is important in both the societies. In addition, we compare the differences and similarities of their family financial support in light of contextual background, the World Bank multi-pillar framework, relevant social policies, and empirical data. Through this, this study is expected to enrich our understanding of the characteristics and role of family financial support of both societies. Moreover, it is hoped that this paper can provide some insights about the future prospect of welfare development for older people in Hong Kong.
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest with respect to authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Notes
Acknowledgements
The authors express their gratitude to Hyosun Kim and Jun Kim for polishing this article.
Notes
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3 World Health Organization, Global Health and Aging, 1–32.
4 United Nations, World Population Ageing.
5 Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong Population Projections 2017–2066.
6 Statistics Korea, “Korean Statistical Information Service.”
7 See note 4 above.
8 Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics.
9 See note 6 above.
10 Tamiya et al., “Population Ageing and Wellbeing,” 1183–1192.
11 Walker and Wong. East Asian Welfare Regimes in Transition.
12 Chow, “The Practice of Filial Piety among the Chinese in Hong Kong,” 125–136; Lum et al., “Measuring Filial Piety in the 21st Century,” 1235–1247; Lew, Filial Piety and Future Society.
13 Lew, Filial Piety and Future Society.
14 Chow, “The Practice of Filial Piety,” 31–35; Laidlaw et al., “Attitudes to Ageing,” 283–292.
15 Maehara and Takemura, “The Norms of Filial Piety,” 585–593; Wu, “Hong Kong Intergenerational Upward Financial Support.”
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17 Cheng and Chan, “Filial piety and Psychological Well-Being,” 262–269.
18 Lee and Kwok, “Differences in Expectations and Patterns,” 188–206; Park, “Legislating for Filial Piety,” 280–293.
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20 Chou, “Number of Children and Upstream Intergenerational Financial Transfers,” 227–235; Shaw et al., “Tracking Changes in Social Relations Throughout Late Life,” 90–99.
21 Cox, “Private Transfers within the Family,” 168–209; Levitt, Weber, and Guacci, “Convoys of Social Support,” 323–326.
22 Antonucci, Ajrouch, and Birditt, “The Convoy Model,” 82–92; Fuller-Iglesias and Antonucci, “Convoys of Social Support in Mexico,” 324–333.
23 Antonucci and Akiyama, “Convoys of Social Relations,” 355–371.
24 See note 20 above.
25 Zhang and Nishimura, “The Old-Age Security Hypothesis Revisited,” 191–202.
26 See note 20 above.
27 Nerlove, Razin, and Sadka, Household and economy; Willis, “The Old Age Security Hypothesis and Population Growth.”
28 See note 20 above.
29 Eswaran, “The Empowerment of Women, Fertility, and Child Mortality,” 433–454.
30 Chung et al., Survey on the Actual Condition of Elderly.
31 Yu, “An Emotional Bond of Adult Children-Parents,” 111–144.
32 See note 20 above.
33 See note 20 above.
34 Seok and Yu, “Income Support and Care for the Elderly,” 31–56.
35 Ibid.
36 Chou, Chi, and Chow, “Sources of Income and Depression in Elderly,” 212–221.
37 See note 19 above.
38 CSSA-Comprehensive Social Security Assistance; OAA-Old Age Allowance; OALA-Old Age Living Allowance; HOALA-Higher Old Age Living Allowance.
39 Social Welfare Department of Hong Kong, “Old Age Allowance.”
40 HKCSS, Hong Kong Pension System.
41 Chan, “Protecting the Ageing Poor or Strengthening the Market Economy,” 123–131.
42 See note 36 above.
43 Census and Statistics Department, Thematic Household Survey Report No. 40.
44 Chui and Ko, “New Wine or Old?” 5–22.
45 Ibid.
46 See note 36 above.
47 Ministry of Health and Welfare, “Basic Pension.”
48 Ibid
49 National Pension Service, “National Pensino Plan.”
50 Korea Insurance Development Institute, Analysis on the Private Pension.
51 Kim, “The Change of Family and Political Implication,” 1–8.
52 Kim, “The Change of Family and Political Implication,” 1–8; Woo and Han, “Future prospects and policy implications,” 211–139.
53 See note 43 above.
54 See note 43 above.
55 The financial support from their children was not categorised independently, but it was assumed that most part of private income transfer is a transfer from their children.
56 Chui, “Changing Norms and Pragmatics of Co-Residence in East Asian Countries,” 1–24; Lai and Chui, “A tale of two cities,” 263–274.
57 GovHK, “Allowances,”; Inland Revenue Department, “Allowances and Deductions.”
58 United Nations, Living Arrangements of Older Persons around the World.
59 Census and Statistics Department, Thematic Report: Older Persons.
60 GovHK, “Deduction for Elderly Residential Care Expenses.”
61 Housing Department, “Harmonious Families Priority Scheme.”
62 Wu, “Hong Kong Intergenerational Upward Financial Support.”
63 Kim et al., “A Study of Ways to Strengthen Old-age Income Protection.”
64 Public rental apartments are constructed as narrow area by public or private company with the support of public fund and leased for more than 5 years. Generally they are not sold in private market but sometimes converted to for sale after a period of time (Nam, 2014).
65 DECC: District Elderly Community Centers; NEC: Neighborhood Elderly Centers; and SE: Social Centers
66 Upward financial support indicates financial support from children.
67 See note 16 above.
68 See note 36 above.
69 See note 39 above.
70 See note 59 above.
71 See note 30 above.
72 Ferraro and Su, “Financial Strain, Social Relations,” 3–15.
73 See note 4 above.
74 Chui, “Changing Norms and Pragmatics of Co-residence in East Asian countries,” 1–24; Sung, “A New Look at Filial Piety,” 610–617.
75 Lum et al., “Measuring Filial Piety in the 21st Century,” 1235–1247; Park, “Legislating for Filial Piety,” 280–293.
76 Jones, “Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan: Oikonomic Welfare,” 446–462.
77 Jones, “The Pacific Challenge: Confucian Welfare State,” 198–217.
78 Gough, “Welfare Regimes in East Asia and Europe”; Holliday, “Productivist Welfare Capitalism,” 706–723.
79 Aspalter, “The East Asian Welfare Model,” 290–301.
80 Ku and Jones Finer, “Developments in East Asian Welfare Studies,” 122.
81 Government of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Poverty Situation Report 2016.
82 Department of Social Work and Social Administration, A Study on Future Development of Retirement Protection in Hong Kong.
83 Chief Secretary for Administration's Office, Poverty Alleviation and Retirement Protection.
84 See note 44 above.
85 See note 59 above.
86 Institutionalisation rate of Hong Kong in 2009 was 6.8% (Elderly commision., 2009:10), while South Korean figure was around 2.2% in 2011(OECD, 2013: 179).; Elderly Commission, Elderly Commission’s Study on Residential Care Services for the Elderly.; OECD, Health at a Glance 2013.
87 Jim and Chen, “Value of Scenic Views.” 226–234.
88 City University of Hong Kong, “I am NOT Leaving Home.”
89 Lum et al., “Measuring Filial Piety in the 21st Century,” 1235–1247.
90 See note 73 above.