ABSTRACT
The population in China is ageing rapidly. In a country where social security programmes have been scarce and care for the elderly has largely depended on the family, it remains a question whether younger generations will be able to take care of the increasing elderly population. China’s one-child policy means that the number of children who can share the responsibility for caring for their elderly parents is decreasing, while the care burden is increasing because a young married couple have to take care of four old parents. Urbanisation and the nuclearisation of the family have made co-residence more difficult; financial difficulties as well as the scarcity of social services have also made it impossible for families to rely on social support. Under such conditions, what can we do for our old people?
