Elderly living alone and Lonely elder problem in China Social Essay

Family in China
Social Sciences
Name
Institution
Course
FAMILY IN CHINA
Family is a building block among the Chinese families. China is known for its robust family system. Traditionally, the family has been a fundamental social institution and places a high value on blood ties. The Chinese families have well developed and defined roles for different family members. It was more of a patriarchal society whereby sons and their wives lived with their parents until their death. Afterward, they would divide their property amongst themselves. Marriage, family, and children were prominent in Chinese culture. For an individual to marry and maintain a household, they were expected to work and have an income. Just like any other Asian culture, the elders in the family were respected for their wisdom. In most traditional families, especially those living in rural areas, many generations live under one household. The grandparents who live with their children played a significant role in raising their grandchildren. In the process, the elderly were taken care of and looked up to by the rest of the family. Confucianism gives unchallengeable powers to the oldest male in society. Sons are expected to give wherever they have to their parents and take care of them; otherwise, they would incur a loss. However, in the modern society, family sizes in China have decreased. There is also the decline of women moving in with the husband’s family after marriage, increase in the divorce rates, and single motherhood. These changes have been as a result of change in the gender and family values.[Hu, Yang, and Jacqueline Scott. "Family and gender values in China: Generational, geographic, and gender differences." ] [Hu, Yang, and Jacqueline Scott. "Family and gender values in China: Generational, geographic, and gender differences." ]
Demographic changes have resulted in a shift in family structures. The government put forward efforts to reduce the population by encouraging marriage at an older age and having few children. In 1979, China introduced the one-child family planning policy. Under this policy, approximately, 6.1 million couples were given certificates for giving birth to one child. These families also pledged that they would not bear more than one child. Since the beginning of the One-Child Policy, there has been a rise in single-child families. As a result, the extended family network is diminishing since most children have no siblings or even cousins. The excellent family bond among the Chinese is, therefore, being broken by the kinless families. Additionally, the younger generation is now moving away from their parents and developing different values. However in the 1980s, the number of one child families continued to increase. However, in the mid-1980s, the government changed this policy slightly whereby couples in rule areas who had one child were allowed to have another child. Today, there are more nuclear families compared to extended families. Additionally, there are rates of divorce and single motherhood in China. Further, change of gender roles in China has triggered the change in family size. For example, today women are prioritizing education, career, and stable home over giving birth and raising chil...