Eldercare or childcare:intergenerational distribution in Chinese families facing care deficits  

作　　者：Xiaohui Zhong Minggang Peng 

机构地区：[1]Center for Chinese Public Administration Research,Sun Yat-Sen University,Guangzhou,People’s Republic of China [2]School of Government,Sun Yat-Sen University,Guangzhou,People’s Republic of China [3]School of Public Administration,Guangzhou University,No.230 Guangzhou University City Outer Ring Road,Guangzhou 510006,People’s Republic of China

出　　处：《The Journal of Chinese Sociology》2024年第1期396-420,共25页中国社会学杂志(英文)

基　　金：Funding for this work was provided by National Social Science Fund of China(Grant No.20BRK034).

摘　　要：In the face of an aging population and declining birth rates,urban Chinese families are grappling with a new challenge of simultaneously caring for both elderly par-ents and children.This study employs a three-generational analytical framework and a mixed research method to examine the intergenerational distribution of care resources and its consequences for urban Chinese families.The findings reveal inter-generational competition for care resources within families,with a general tendency to prioritize children and only respond to crisis situations for elderly parents;this leads to a care deficit for older individuals.Furthermore,social care resources are ineffective in bridging this care gap,thereby inducing anxiety within families as they strive to bal-ance the care needs of both elderly parents and children.The study argues that insuf-ficient support from care policies exacerbates the resource squeeze on the elderly side by the children’s side within families,which calls for enhancing the policy support system to help families balance eldercare,childcare,and work commitments.

关 键 词：Care deficits Intergenerational competition Intergenerational distribution Three-generational framework 

分 类 号：C92[社会学—人口学]