Rural Parent-Child Relationship Changes In The Context Of De-agriculture Background

Conversion deepening, China's rural society has experienced a dramatic change with the development of de-agriculturalization. Families play an important role in rural areas. And as a microcosm of society, they also, inevitably, change. As an important part of family relations, parent-child relationships are also affected. This research is set in Zhejiang province. The author surveys many rural villages, examining both the traditional parent-child relationship and that in the new situation. A thorough analysis of the present rural parent-child relationship in the context of de-agriculturalization, which finds itself in sharp contrast to that before the reform and opening-up since the 1970s, is made.Firstly, in traditional society, the father(parent) possessed a higher social status than the son(child), reflected by dogmas like child showing obedience to parent,child showing filial piety to parent; After the founding of new China, however, the Party and the government began to advocate equality of all, including equality between parent and child with the support of economy, laws and culture. After the reform and opening up, some farmers'land has been taken away for certain purposes with some compensation from the people who occupied the land, thus making parents own more economic resources and a higher economical status than their married children. Some married children, owe to economic dependence on their parents and to a more convenient life, consider living together with their parents to form a Stem Family, so that the parent and the child form a new equal relationship, even an equal relationship between a mother and her daughter-in-law.Secondly, in traditional society, a "married daughter" was compared to "spilled water," which means married daughters in traditional society gradually lost contact with their former family. Since the 1980s, with the development of de-agriculturalization in rural areas, the traditional mode of raising children for old age has been greatly impacted; females gradually take charge of family affairs, especially the economy. And married daughters increased contact with their parents. This shift has changed the relationship between married daughters with their parents. Married daughters are no longer parental emotional sustenance merely; they also take the responsibility of raising their elderly parents. Also, this shift has changed the rights and obligations between a married son and his parents. Still, married daughters, who raise their own elderly parents, own a different relationship with their mothers-in law.Finally, the elderly in traditional societies had inviolable rights; after the founding of new China, with technological advances, the elderly gradually lost their advantageous positions. Their status has plummeted, almost in the periphery of the family; since 1979, with the continuous improvement and development of Senior Citizen Associations in rural areas, which offer firm support for the elderly, the latter has increased the capacity of mass mobility. They as we found during the survey, differ from young people that tend to act individually. This capacity provides the elderly with more opportunities to participate and even make decisions in family affairs. Their right to speak has been further strengthened, thus increasing their family status.