Social Protection in East Asian Chinese Societies: Challenges, Responses and Impacts by Peter Saunders & Alex Jingwei He

Author:Peter Saunders & Alex Jingwei He [Saunders, Peter & He, Alex Jingwei]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781138295988
Google: JabctAEACAAJ
Goodreads: 34964593
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2017-11-28T13:52:20+00:00

These findings are in line with the current literature arguing for the rationalization and self-interestedness of lengthened and intensified parental strategic investment. It is obvious that the investment is reciprocally linked with the prospect of old age support. Our research identifies the intention to strengthen the emotional ties between the two generations.

The dismal future for such investment is that in the 4:2 family structure, the young couple in the only-child family has to provide care for two sets of parents, which will be almost impossible to achieve when the latter all reach the long term care age. The investment is bound to have very limited return. Our observation of the active negotiation by the parents can also be a sign that they did not feel secure with the current level of social protection and service delivery.

As a response, the Central Government launched a national ‘9073’ strategy to establish an old age service system in the 12th Five-Year Plan Period, and more detailed plans will be introduced through the period 2016–2020. This policy prescribes that 90% of older people live at home and are assisted by their family members, or by private sector service providers. Seven percent receive some sort of care services from community elderly care centres which provide community-arranged home services and community care services during daytime. Only 3% will live in old age care institutions. These are usually the disabled or older people in need of long-term care services. In this system, family members (such as the partner of the older person and the adult child’s family) are expected to be the main caregivers.

Despite these plans, neither the state nor society, no matter how resourceful, has the capacity to meet the emotional needs of elderly citizens. This is where the parents have been negotiating hard with their children for. However, the assumption behind family-based care is that the adult children are willing to, and are able to, provide the (esp. practical) care needed. Some of the younger generation have been lured, coerced or convinced into the emotional contract which partially resembles the filial relationship. However, as young people might move to another city or even abroad, there is still a chance that older people will be left without any primary caregivers (Boermel 2006).

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