Health of Older Chinese Adults and Implications for Intergenerational Co-residence: Evidence from Couple-level Panel Data

• In Event: 2141 - Caregiving and Intergenerational Relationships

Abstract

Older individuals who are in poor health or who lack spousal support are increasingly vulnerable in contemporary China. Declines in family size, combined with improvements in life expectancy and out-migration of young adults from rural areas, have reduced the pool of potential caregivers for a growing number of older individuals. At the same time, state support for the elderly population remains inadequate, further emphasizing the importance of families’ role in care provision. This paper draws on recent couple-level panel data from the 2012, 2014 and 2016 China Family Panel Studies to examine whether older couples with healthcare needs in China today receive help in the form of co-residence from adult children. Results from multivariate logistic regression analyses suggest that when both older parents have relatively high levels of depression or more trouble with immediate word recall at baseline, or when the mother has activity limitations at baseline, adult children are more likely to co-reside at follow-up. Furthermore, parents’ union dissolution in the interval (primarily due to widowhood) is associated with intergenerational co-residence at follow-up. Findings are suggestive of the continued practice of contingent co-residence in China today. Nevertheless, going forward, the Chinese state will have to play a greater role in the provision of old-age care.

Authors

• Sneha Kumar, Cornell University

• Lindy Williams, Cornell University