CHINA'S REVOLUTIONS AND INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONS Martin King Whyte, Editor CENTER FOR CHINESE STUDIES THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN ANN ARBOR Open access edition funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities/ Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Humanities Open Book Program. MICHIGAN MONOGRAPHS IN CHINESE STUDIES ISSN 1081-9053 SERIES ESTABLISHED 1968 VOLUME 96 Published by Center for Chinese Studies The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-1608 © 2003 The Regents of the University of Michigan Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data China's revolutions and mtergenerational relations / Martin King Whyte, editor, p. cm. - (Michigan monographs in Chinese studies, ISSN 1081-9053 ; v. 96) Includes bibliographic references and index. ISBN 0-89264-160-6 (alk. paper) 1. Intergenerational relations—China. 2. Parent and adult child—China. 3. Aging parents—China. 4. Family life surveys—China. I Whyte, Martin King. II. Michigan monographis in Chnese studies ; no. 96. HV740.Z9 1583 2003 305.2'0951— dc21 2002067723 ISBN 978-0-89264-160-4 (hardcover) ISBN 978-0-472-03809-1 (paper) ISBN 978-0-472-12755-9 (ebook) ISBN 978-0-472-90150-0 (open access) The text of this book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Dedicated to the memory of Professor Yuan Fang (1918-2000) Teacher, Sociologist, and Patron of International Academic Collaboration CONTENTS Preface xi Parti INTRODUCTION 1. China's Revolutions and Intergenerational Relations 3 By Martin King Whyte Part II THE BAODING ELDERLY AND INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONS: THE GENERAL PICTURE 2. Family Support for the Elderly in Urban China: An Intergenerational Approach 33 By Yuan Fang and Martin King Whyte 3. Privilege or Punishment? Retirement and Reemployment among the Chinese Urban Elderly 61 By Wang Feng, Xiao Zhenyu, and Zhanjie 4. The Persistence of Family Obligations in Baoding 85 By Martin King Whyte Part III THE CONTOURS OF INTERGENERATIONAL EXCHANGES 5. Support Received by the Elderly in Baoding: The View from Two Generations 121 By Albert I. HermaHn and Shiauping R. Shih 6. Living Arrangements and Old-Age Support 143 By Shengming Yan, Jieming Chen, and Shanhua Yang 7. Support for Aging Parents from Daughters versus Sons 167 By Martin King Whyte and Xu Qin 8. The Effect of Parental Investment on Old-Age Support in Urban China 197 By Jieming Chen Part IV INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONS IN CHINA AND TAIWAN 9. Intergenerational Relations in Two Chinese Societies 225 By Martin King Whyte, Albert I. Hermalin, and Mary Beth Ofstedai 10. Patterns of Intergenerational Support in Urban China and Urban Taiwan 255 By Albert I. Hermalin, Mary Beth Ofstedai, and Shiauping JR.. Shih 11. Attitudes toward Intergenerational Relations in Urban China and Taiwan 277 By Jennifer C. Cornman, Jieming Chen, and Albert I. Hermalin 12. Postscript: Filial Support and Family Change 303 By Martin King Whyte List of Contributors 315 Index 317 FIGURES, TABLES, APPENDIX Figures Figure 3.1 Trends in Retirement Age by Gender and in Income, Baoding, 1978-1994 64 Figure 5.1 Format for Questions Regarding Exchanges of Support 123 Tables Table 2.1 Gender and Marital Status by Age Group 35 Table 2.2 Coresidence with Children by Age Group 36 Table 2.3 Work and Pension Status by Gender and Age Group 40 Table 2.4 Health Condition of Baoding Parents by Age Group 44 Table 2.5 Intergenerational Exchanges of Baoding Parents by Age Group 47 Table 2.6 Parent-Child Relations by Age Group of Parent 50 Table 3.1 Employment Status among the Elderly in Baoding, China, 1994 67 Table 3.2 Reasons for Retirement 69 Table 3.3 Logistic Regression Results on Early Retirement among Respondents Aged 50 to 59 74 Table 3.4 Logistic Regression Results on Re-employment among Baoding Retirees, 1994 78 Table 4.1 Parent and Child Views of Family Obligations 90 Table 4.2 Parent and Child Views of Coresidence 92 Table 4.3 Parent and Child Views on Other Attitudes 97 Table 4.4 Parent and Child Cultural/Media Preferences 99 Table 4.5 Child Family Obligations Scale Correlations and Regressions 107 Table 4.6 Child Coresidence Benefits Scale Correlations and Regressions 109 Table 5.1 Percentage of the Elderly Receiving Each Type of Support 126 viii China's Revolutions and Intergcnerational Relations Table 5.2 Percentage Distribution of Main Providers for Those Receiving Support of Each Type 126 Table 5.3 Percentage Receiving Support from Each Source, for Those Receiving Support of Each Type, by Gender of Respondent 128 Table 5.4 Estimated Effects of Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Health Factors on the Log-Odds of Receiving the Specified Type of Support 130 Table 5.5 Percentage Distribution of Children by Selected Sociodemographic Characteristics and Family Composition 132 Table 5.6 Percentage of Children Named as a Support Provider in Each Sociodemographic Category 133 Table 5.7 Estimated Effects of Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Sibship Characteristic on the Log-Odds of Providing Each Type of Support, among Children Whose Elderly Parent Receives the Specific Type of Support from a Child 134 Table 5.8. Percentage of Parent-Child Dyad Agreement on Support Provided and Received by Type of Support 136 Table 5.9 Estimated Effects of Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Sibship Characteristics on the Log-Odds of Agreement on Exchange Between the Parent and the Child 137 Table 6.1 Characteristics of Child Respondents and Their Parents by Living Arrangements 149 Table 6.2 Old-Age Support by Children Under Different Living Arrangements 152 Table 6.3 Change in Support after Marriage under Different Living Arrangements 152 Table 6.4 The Effects of Living Arrangments on Assistance in Services to Older Parents: Logistic Regressions 154 Table 6.5 The Effects of Living Arrangements on Economic Assistance and Other Miscellaneous Support to Older Parents follows 155 Table 6.6 The Effects of Living Arrangements on Perceived Change of Assistance to Older Parents after Marriage: Logistic Regressions 159 Figures, Tables, Appendix ix Table 7.1 Comparing the Filial Attitudes of Sons and Daughters 171 Table 7.2 Gender Differences in Coresidence and Visiting Parents 172 Table 7.3 Gender Differences in Relations with Parents 173 Table 7.4 Gender Differences in Support Provided to Parents 175 Table 7.5 Logistic Regression Analysis of Support to Parents 177 Table 7.6 OLS Regression Analysis of Value of Gifts to Parents 179 Table 7.7 OLS Regression Analysis of Cash to Parents and Net Flow to Parents 184 Table 7.8 Gender Differences in Help Provided to Children by Parents 186 Table 8.1 Old-Age Support Provided by Children 204 Table 8.2 Means and Percentage Distributions of Explanatory Variables 206 Table 8.3 Percentage of Intergenerational Support Provided follows 208 Table 8.4 Effects of Parental Investment on Instrumental Old-Age Support 211 Table 8.5 Effects of Parental Investment on Economic Old-Age Support 215 Table 9.1 Percentage Distributions for Sociodemographic Characteristics of Persons Age 60 and Older in Baoding, China and in Urban Taiwan 242 Table 9.2 Means and Percentage Distributions for Family and Household Composition of Persons Age 60 and Older in Baoding, China and in Urban Taiwan 244 Table 9.3 Sociodemographic Characteristics of Children of Sampled Parents in Baoding and in Taiwan 246 Table 10.1 Percentage of Elderly with Selected Sociodemographic Characteristics Receiving Four Types of Assistance in Baoding and Urban Taiwan follows 257 Table 10.2A Percent Distribution of Main Provider for Physical Care and Household Assistance in Baoding and Urban Taiwan follows 261 Table 10.2B Percent Distribution of Main Provider for Financial Support and Material Support in Baoding and Urban Taiwan follows 263 x China's Revolutions and Inter generational Relations Table 10.3 Percent Distribution for Number of Supports Received and Number of Support Providers in Baoding and Urban Taiwan 266 Table 10.4 Effects of Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Health Factors on Receiving the Specified Type of Support: Coefficients from Logistic Regressions Using Pooled Data 269 Table 10.5 Predicted Probabilities of Receiving Household, Financial, and Material Assistance for Selected Subgroups follows 270 Table 11.1 Comparison of Attitudes of Taiwanese Elderly Parents and Baoding Elderly Parents 280 Table 11.2 Effects of Elderly Characteristics on Elderly Attitudes: Coefficients of Logistic Regressions (standard errors) follows 281 Table 11.3 Effects of Parental Characteristics and Country of Residence on Parental Attitudes: Coefficients of Logistic Regressions Using Pooled Data (standard errors) 286 Table 11.4 Comparison of Attitudes of Taiwanese Adult Children and Baoding Adult Children 288 Table 11.5 Effects of Adult Children's Characteristics on Children's Attitudes: Coefficients of Logistic Regressions (standard errors) follows 289 Table 11.6 Effects of Adult Children's Characteristics and Country of Residence on Children's attitudes: Coefficients of Logistic Regressions Using Pooled Date (standard errors) 293 Appendix Appendix A 298 PREFACE China's Revolutions and Intervene rational Relations serves as the final report of a pioneering and complex collaborative survey involving Chinese and American researchers. Our collective goal was to understand how the many wrenching changes experienced by Chinese families in the twentieth century (detailed in chapter 1) affected the relationship between grown children and their aging parents. More generally, we wanted to capture and understand the balance of change and continuity in the family life of urban Chinese during the last decade of the century. This volume is a testament to both the fruits and the difficulties of collabo- rative academic research between our two countries. The project whose primary results are reported in these pages was originally conceived in 1988. What was intended as a three-year project eventually stretched out for more than a decade, with additional years needed to prepare the resulting papers for publication.