The Research Of Social Support System Among Empty Nesters In Urban Communities

With the development of economy and the improvement of medical level in China, people’s life expectancy is increasing constantly. At the same time, as the increasing number of the only child family and the core family, the population ratio of empty nesters in our total population is expanding constantly. As the physiological function gradually declines, empty nesters will gradually become part of the venerable groups in the society, who will turn out to face spiritual loss and material deprivation and so on. With these problems arise, empty nester problem becomes(evolves into) a social problem instead of just family problem. Therefore, the support and care to these empty nesters are not only the need of the life quality of the elders, but also out of the request of stability of modernization in China.Taking the empty nesters in FangQi Community, Wuhan City, as the research object, the essay do analysis in three aspect, which are economical support, daily care and emotional and spiritual support, and two dimensions, which are informal supportive system and formal supportive system. Due to the influence of our own traditional culture, on one hand, family members are still considered as the main force to take care of the elders; and on the other hand, with the rapid growth of floating population, the core orientation of the scale of family, function transformation and the effect of the one child policy, family ability on solving empty nesters problem is falling, which points out the particular importance of the construction of the social support of empty nesters system.Take qualitative research as foundation method, through using interview, questionnaire, and literature review, the essay pay special attention to explore the quo status of social support of empty nesters in cities, analyzing problems which the supporting system are facing and give suggestions, including the following aspects:First, as for the economic support system, we should increase the support for spouses and children of empty nesters, improve the pension insurance system, and reform the existing system of medical insurance.Second, in the life care support system, increase the government support for community care, support the care of the empty-nesters, while building a professional community service volunteer team.Third,in the spiritual and emotional support system, making the empty-nesters able to understand the social care, eliminate the ageism to empty-nesters, and establish complete self-support system for empty-nesters.