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DIVERSE INDIVIDUALISATIONS AND INTERDEPENDENCES: HOW ADULT ONLY- CHILDREN’S MARRIAGE AND FAMILY FORMATION AFFECTS PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS IN URBAN CHINA QING LIN PhD in SOCIOLOGY THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH 2018 Abstract My research focuses on the first generation of only-children and their parents, to see how the only-children's marriage affects the relationships with their parents thus contributing to debates around intimacy and individualisation processes in China. SinCe the implementation of the one-child birth control policy in the late 1970s, the one-child family has become a common family type in urban China. With the shrinking of family size caused by reduction in the number of births, my research explores how this change, together with socio- economic change, affects the intergenerational relationships in Chinese families. The Chinese family has traditionally involved a long-term contract between parents and children, in which parents raise children with the assumption that children would reciprocate by taking care of them in their old age. Scholars have asserted that under the influence of marketisation and consumerism, individualisation is rising which leads to the decline of moral behaviour and disintegration of family bonds, as well as obligations to elderly parents. Most existing research on intergenerational relationships in only-child families has adopted quantitative methods and often focuses on elderly care problems, overlooking the complexity of only-children’s meaning- making process in relation to their parents and the family. My research uses qualitative methods and involved interviews with 120 people from 30 only-child families, members of the couple and one of their respective parents. In the Chinese context, individualisation has had an impact on intergenerational relations in only-child families and existing theories generally see individualisation in terms of the selfishness of younger generations, with little exploration of the impact of individualisation from the point of view of older generations. My study fills this gap and the data reveals that both the only-child generation and the parent generation show a trend of individualisation, varying according to social background. However, relations between generations continue to be based on interdependence, and the importance of intergenerational interdependence is not confined to China. Although debates about individualisation in China situate it within the specific context, my work points out the need not to assume that it means people are actually more self-reliant. My work shows how the privatisation of support for families affects the relationships between older parents and their adult children. Declaration I Confirm that the work presented in this thesis is all my own work, and it has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Signed: QING LIN Date: 30/03/2018 Acknowledgements It has been a life-changing experience for me to undertake PhD study. First and foremost, I would like to thank my three amazing supervisors, Mary Holmes, Sophia Woodman and Gil Viry. They have been really supportive, not only in my study but also in my daily life. Every time I felt miserable about my research, they encouraged me and gave me confidence to continue my PhD study. They are academic models for me. I cannot imagine reaching the final stage of the PhD study without their enthusiastic guidance. In addition, I especially appreciate all the love and sacrifices of my husband. We have only been able to meet two or three weeks each year during my PhD study as I studied in Edinburgh while he worked in China. The long distance did not cool down our romance, but helped us treasure each other more. We have even harvested our fruit of love, as I got pregnant in my final stage of PhD study. Last but not least, I would also like to thank my parents, because they never pushed me to finish the PhD as quickly as possible, and on the contrary, they always told me to take care of myself and study at my own pace. Although my family members are geographically far away from me, I always feel they are extremely close. CONTENTS 1.CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .............. 1 1.1 Traditional Chinese Family—before 1949 ... 5 1.2 Changing Chinese Families—before and after 1978 .............................................................. 7 1.3 One-Child Birth Control Policy ................... 15 1.4 Parent-Child Relationships in One-Child Families .............................................................. 16 1.5 Structure of Thesis ...................................... 21 2.CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW SITUATING ONLY-CHILD FAMILIES AND PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS ............... 29 2.1 Introduction .................................................. 29 2.2 The One-Child Birth Control Policy ........... 30 2.3 Research on Chinese Only-Children ......... 32 2.4 Existing Research on Only-Child Family in China ................................................................... 35 2.5 Research on the Marital Life of Only- Children .............................................................. 38 2.6 Only-Children's Marriage Payment ............ 41 2.7 Changing Filial Piety: Economic and Emotional Influence .......................................... 45 2.8 Housing and Living Arrangements ............ 52 2.9 Grandparenting in Only-Child Families ..... 56 2.10 Parent-Consuming .................................... 60 2.11 Individualisation of Chinese Families ...... 66 2.12 Conclusion ................................................. 72 3 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ....... 75 3.1 Introduction .................................................. 75 3.2 Research Location ...................................... 76 3.3 Research Participants ................................. 80 3.4 How to Choose Individual Cases ............... 84 3.5 Getting in Touch With Informants .............. 90 3.6 Data Collection: Interviews ......................... 95 3.7 Conducting Semi-Structured Interviews ... 97 3.8 Data Analysis ............................................. 101 3.9 Ethical Issues ............................................. 103 3.10 Conclusion ............................................... 110 4 CHAPTER FOUR: MARRIAGE PAYMENT AND PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS IN ADULT ONLY-CHILD FAMILIES ................. 111 4.1 Introduction ................................................. 111 4.2 Background ................................................ 112 4.3 Differences of Negotiating Marriage Payments .......................................................... 115 4.4 Marriage Payments as a Way to Enhance Parent-Child Relationships ............................. 124 4.5 Conflicts between Two Generations over Marriage Payment ............................................ 126 4.6 Conclusion ................................................. 135 5 CHAPTER FIVE: MARITAL HOUSING IN ONLY-CHILD FAMILIES .............................. 139 5.1 Introduction ................................................ 139 5.2 Chinese Marital Home Background ......... 140 5.3 Marital Home Burdens under Increasing Housing Prices ................................................ 141 5.4 Who will Pay for the Marital Home--Only- Son or Only-Daughter? ................................... 146 5.5 How Purchase of Marital Home Affects Parent-Child Relationships ............................. 155 5.6 Only-Child Families without Purchased Marital Home .................................................... 166 5.7 Conclusion ................................................. 167 6 CHAPTER SIX: LIVING ARRANGEMENTS IN ONLY-CHILD FAMILIES ......................... 173 6.1 Introduction ................................................ 173 6.2 Decision Making Process on Living Arrangements .................................................. 176 6.3 Only-Child Couples Co-Residence with Parents ............................................................. 177 6.4 Only-Child Couples’ Independent Residence ........................................................................... 188 6.5 Conclusion ................................................. 197 7 CHAPTER SEVEN: GRANDPARENTING IN ONE-CHILD FAMILIES: GRANDPARENTS WORKING AS CAREGIVERS? ................... 201 7.1 Introduction ................................................ 201 7.2 Background of Child Caring in China ...... 202 7.3 The Arrangement of Grandparenting ...... 205 7.4 How to Make Choice: Child Caring or Working ............................................................ 215 7.5 Conflicts between Two Generation Regarding Childcare ....................................... 222 7.6 Competition