Yingzi Shen, University of Sheffield
In recent decades, China has undergone significant demographic and social changes which are characterised by a rapidly ageing population, low fertility rate and large-scale rural-to-urban migration. The World Health Organisation shows China has one of the fastest growing ageing populations in the world, with an aged population expected to increase to 28% by 2040. China’s fertility rate has remained below 1.9 since the 1980s one-child policy. These demographic characteristics mean serious challenges in care arrangements for Chinese families and the state.
In addition, China has witnessed unprecedented urbanisation and modernisation since its opening-up policies in the 1980s, resulting in a divided rural-urban welfare system and hierarchical social rights. In 2023, more than 290 million people moved to cities temporarily without equal access to urban
local welfare benefits. The dual rural-urban system has resulted in care deficit and difficulties in migrant families.
The symposium will provide critical insights into institutional and familial approaches of dealing with care challenges in China. Wenjing Jin’s paper focuses on transformation of China’s LTC policies under the framework of policy diffusion. Her findings suggest a three-stage diffusion process in China’s LTC policies. Sha Li’s paper examines the one-child generation’s expectations about eldercare provision and possible tensions between work and eldercare support. It emphasises gaps in care provision and offers recommendations for tackling eldercare. Jiaxin Liu’s paper explores the arrangement and negotiation of intergenerational support under changes in family structure and new public pension schemes. The findings demonstrate both older people’s individual agency and familial agency, with family an essential socio-economic actor in eldercare. Yingzi Shen’s paper focuses on intergenerational negotiation of childcare practices when three generations are incorporated in rural-to-urban migration. It identifies three patterns of migrant grandparents’ roles in childcare provision and explores intergenerational tensions and strategies of coping with these tensions.
Papers:
Paper 1: Diffusion of Long-term Care Policies in China: qualitative research based on policy texts – Dr. Wenjing Jin, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China.
Paper 2: Who Will Look After Our Older People in China in the Future? – Dr. Sha Li, University of Bath, UK
Paper 3: Two levels of agency: the negotiation of intergenerational support in Chinese families – Dr. Jiaxin Liu, University of York, UK
Paper 4: Intergenerational cooperation on childcare in rural-to-urban migrant families in southern China – Yingzi Shen, University of Sheffield, UK
Discussant(s):
Prof Sue Yeandle, University of Sheffield, UK.
Prof Kate Hambin, University of Sheffield, UK