Chinese families just not what they used to be ...
Print Edition
THE traditional Chinese family has been undergoing a dramatic change, according to a report issued by the National Health and Family Planning Commission ahead of today’s International Day of Families.
There are an increasing number of DINK (double income no kids) families, one-parent families, one-member families, and families where children live with their grandparents, with the parents working in other cities or provinces for most of the year.
Women are also marrying later and are no longer in a hurry to have children, the report reveals.
The number of one-member and two-member families has doubled over the years, accounting for nearly 40 percent of families in China today.
Taking care of the elderly is putting pressure on a number of families, according to the report.
More than 88 million families have a member over the age of 65, or 20 percent of all families. Such families need more support from society in caring for their old folk, the report says.
There are about 430 million families on China’s mainland, and their size has been shrinking.
A Chinese family consists of 3.02 members on average at present, compared with 5.3 members in the 1950s, four in 1990 and 3.1 in 2010. The one-child policy was one of the main causes of the downward trend.
The number of Chinese families will continue to increase, surpassing 500 million in 2040 and reaching a peak of 504 million in 2045, according to the report.
Women have a bigger say in family decisions today, the report says, and the main task of the family has shifted from giving birth to a new generation to the happiness of current family members and self-fulfillment.
People are also relying on their families more for emotional support, entertainment and a sense of security rather than financial needs.
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