Research On The Social Assistance System Of Families Who Have Lost Their Only Child

In the1980s, the family planning one-child policy implementation required that couples can only birth one child, however, children might suffer from diseases or accidents because of various risks exist in the society, making them the only child to their families. As time goes on, these parents are mostly middle-aged now and have lost the opportunities to give birth to another child. These families are haunted by the shadow of losing their only child and suffered physically and mentally. Gradually, these parents become specially "vulnerable group". Their status is partly caused by family planning one-child policy; to effectively control the rapid population growth in China has made important contribution. The policy and promoted the development of China’s economy and society, however its negatives also gradually revealed. This paper is divided into six chapters, the main contents are as follows:As the one-child died, great changes had taken place in his/her parents’life. And now how their living conditions? what were their really dilemmas? Could their dilemmas get to solve? These questions were worth getting our attentions. Because it was not only related to these parents’ protection of relevant rights and interests, but also in relation to the effective degree of measures of the government and society. What’s more, it also influenced social stability and development. Now the investigation about families who have lost their only child mainly focused on the news and media. And in the academic field, it was less. In previous studies, most of articles usually put the families of one-child death and disability together as the research objects; Research contents generally focused on the benefits of running mechanism, social policy support and so on. There was not the system research about the social assistance system of the families who have lost their only child.Employing qualitative research method, this paper develops an analysis of20selected families who have lost their only child and a systematic research on the corresponding social assistance system with relevant literature. The innovation of this paper lies in the comparison of the actual situation of selected families known through on-spot interviews and summaries on the social assistance system for them. This comparison exposes problems from a variety of perspectives so that sound suggestions can be proposed. However, the paper has several limitations. First, the research is based on investigations of limited literatures on families who have lost their only child and the social assistance system in Sichuan; second, the coverage of the paper is not comprehensive. The interviews were conducted within a relatively small group due to the uniqueness of these families and the author’s student identity.This essay is constitute of six chapters and main contents as following:Chapter1:Introduction.First, this essay provided the social background of the phenomena of families who lost their only child:the strictly implemented one child only policy, which enacted from1980s. Second, this essay bring a point from macroscopic view that the essence of single-child families is families with risks, and families who lost their only child is the maximized risks. Researching the support system of families who lost their only child has its realistic significance. At last, the research design of this essay is presented based on concerning research results of families who lost their only child and its particular social support systems.Chapter2:The background of families who lost their only child and the difficulties they may face. This chapter is divided as two sections:the first section gives the definition of the social support system. The second chapter illustrated the context of social support system in five aspects:social support system’s characteristics, functions and distinct factors compared with regarding concepts, basic ideas, basic value.Chapter3:providing the general situation of families who lost their only child, analyzing the difficulties they face. This chapter is constituted of two sections:the first section includes the general backgrounds of14subjects from online chat subjects and6interview subjects. In this section, all20subjects’general family situation, finance situation, and physiological states, which gives an initial understanding of families who lost their only child from microscope views. The second section is trying to analysis the finance difficulties, physiological trams, old-age hardships and health care difficulties, which provide the general backgrounds of families who lost their only child. These two sections offer instance and reference for analyzing social support system and bring about realistic suggestions.The fourth chapter:the current assistance for families who have lost their only child. The paper summarized the status quo of the social assistances with the real situation and difficulties faced by selected families, basing on20interviews and researches on relevant policies and literature. This chapter focuses on both formal and informal social assistances. Specifically, the formal one refers to assistances mainly from the government, communities and non-governmental organizations while the informal social assistances are based on blood, geographical and occupational relations.The fifth chapter:existing issues of the social assistance. Combining previous two chapters, this chapter compared the predicament of families who have lost their only child with the status quo of the social assistances. Hence, the issues of the social assistance on the government, communities and non-governmental organizations levels can be clearly indicated.The sixth chapter:suggestions on improving the social assistances for families who have lost their only child. Based on the summaries of issues existing in the current social assistances, this chapter proposed suggestions to improve assistances on the government, communities and non-governmental organizations levels.