| The rapid aging of the Chinese population, as the consequence of drastic reduction in its fertility and mortality in the past few decades, has raised serious doubts about the adequacy of the traditional family elderly-support system; this concern is especially acute in the rural areas, where very few elderly receive old age pensions. Hence the question: Will China's family-support system be able to accommodate its increasing numbers of old members? And especially, as we approach the year 2030 when the one-child generation comes of age, and the Chinese baby-boomers enter their old age: Will the only-children generation be able to support the elderly baby-boomers? This dissertation examines how China's kinship networks are likely to evolve in the wake of rapid population aging, and, particularly, what kind of responsibility these networks would bear for the elderly members. Finally, the dissertation explores a series of policy options aimed at helping the families with the greatest burden of supporting their elderly members. The dissertation concludes that, although the Chinese family will experience a substantial increase in the burden of supporting its elderly members around the year 2030, most families will still be able to provide adequate support for their old parents. Still, with an eye towards bolstering the family-support system where it will sag, a series of family-oriented old age security programs which will supplement, rather than replace, familial support are here outlined, with, surprisingly enough, minimum cost to the State. |
