A Comparative Study On Family Support For The Elderly Between Two Villages In Shandong Province

With the development of industrialization and urbanization, the Chinese rural area has undergone tremendous changes. More and more young people have been living in the city due to the adjustment of industrial structure.The transfer of rural surplus labor, as well as the implementation of family planning policy has a direct impact on family structure in rural areas. More and more "4-2-1" or "6-2-1"family structure indicates that rural households are facing a serious shortage of the pension resources. At the same time, the "filial piety" exists in the traditional Chinese household and intergenerational relationships have also undergone a subtle change. In this paper, we investigated two villages at different levels of economic development locating in the central region of Shandong province. First, the author described the living,economic and cultural life of the elderly and their subjective views about pension. In this study, we pay more attention to the pension situation of some special elderly group (such as the one-child families’elderly, elderly people living alone, elderly people who can not take care of themselves). Secondly, we examined how the family’s structure and the intergenerational relationships affect the family pension. Finally, we proposed countermeasures after comparing the pension condition of that two villages.Patriarchy has fully lessen its authority in households and the relation between family members are becoming more and more equal, which make a profound impact on rural households providing for the elderly. First, traditional unconditional support is becoming relative and conditional support, basing on their parent’s contribution to their households;Second, there is no more difference between son and daughter on providing support for the elderly, whether financial support, life care, or emotional comfort; Third, rural social pension insurance has been in full progress, as an important supplement to the family pension, but still need to improve. Fourth, family has great flexibility and adaptability to meet the needs of older persons, although the aged produce new demand, such as food, clothing, housing, transportation, communication and entertainment, health care and so on.From the result of survey, the elderly in rural areas can not purchase social service to make up the lack of family care as the elderly does in cities. In this case, making every effort of individuals, families, communities and countries to implement the wide range pension system is an important cause which is adaptable to the level of economic development in rural areas. a) improve the rural social pension and medical insurance system. b) enhance self-support pension ability of the rural elderly,and encourage them to master certain skills so as to reduce the economic dependence on their children. c) promote the fine tradition of respect and care for the old. d) expand social support networks of the elderly, and increase supportive ability of social network;e) strengthen the construction of community welfare institutions.