Research On The Living Condition Of The Left-behind Eldery In Rural Areas

Since the1980s, with the rapid development of urbanization and industrialization, moreand more rural young labor forces have been flocking to the city only to make their parentsthe left-behind elderly who still stay in hometowns out of various reasons. Under the dualbackground of population aging and social transformation, the living conditions of the ruralleft-behind elderly who are regarded as vulnerable groups affect not only migrant workers’life, but also the whole rural society’s harmony. This paper taking a small plain town insouthwest of Shandong province for an example, surveys living situations of the ruralleft-behind elderly by use of questionnaires and case interviews. On the basis of that dataanalysis, the survey finds that the rural left-behind elderly’s living is in danger of problems,like shortage of economic support, lack of life care, disability of grand-parenting, ponderosityof labor burden, difficulty of medical treatment, narrowness of social interaction anddeficiency of spiritual comfort. And the main reasons that catch the rural left-behind elderly’sliving in such a dilemma is the low social security, the long absent rural communities, theweak traditional pension and the degraded old body function. The author believes that societyshould increase the support for the rural left-behind elderly in order to improve their livingconditions. Other than staying old people’s own efforts, the government, communities andfamilies should give full play to their respective functions, actively carrying forward currentfilial piety culture, improving rural social security system, developing community activities,proposing neighborhood watch and strengthening family support.The thesis is divided into five parts. Chapter one mainly introduces study background,study purpose, research significance, research interview at home and abroad, researchmethods and innovative research points. Chapter two functions as the theoretical basis of thestudy on living status of the left-behind elderly, focusing on relevant concepts that conductsthis thesis and sociological theories and revelations. Chapter three concerns the study onexamples of the left-behind elderly’s living conditions. Based on the quantitative andqualitative data analysis, the author depicts the living status and dilemmas of the left-behindelderly from economic support, life care, grand-parenting, labor burden, medical treatment,social interaction and spiritual comfort. Chapter four analyzes reasons that cause such livingdilemmas of the left-behind elderly in terms of social security system, rural communities’role,family pension’s function and staying old people themselves. Chapter five proposes thesuggestions that improve living conditions of the left-behind elderly at the level of thegovernment, communities, families and individuals.