Only-Child Older Parents in China

Abstract

Only-child older adults; Only-child older couples; Only-child aging families Definition The term "only-child older parents" generally refers to older adults having one biological, adopted, or stepchild in their lifetime. In mainland China, however, the term only-child older parents primarily refers to a cohort of older adults who only had one biological, adopted, or stepchild in their lifetime because of the one-child family planning policy that was enacted from the late 1970s to 2015.

Gender Differences in Intergenerational Relationships in Contemporary Urban China

“…1980s and completely abolished it in 2016. e nearly four decades long policy has led to numerous singlechild families, which suggests that the total number of single-child mothers under the age of 60 in China is likely to reach approximately 150 million in 2020(Wang 2009). As the only child generation moves into middle age, daughters become increasingly impor-tant̶possibly irreplaceable̶in intergenerational relationships as their elderly parents have no one else to depend on(Wang 2016).Empirical evidence has indicated that only children are closer to their parents than non-only children; moreover, only daughters tend to be more supportive than only sons.…”