Can China's Rural Elderly Count on Support from Adult Children? Implications of Rural-to-Urban Migration

This paper shows that support from the family continues to be an important source of support for the rural elderly, particularly the rural elderly over 70 years of age. Decline in likelihood of co-residence with, or in close proximity to, adult children raises the possibility that China's rural elderly will receive less support in the forms of both income and in-kind instrumental care. Although descriptive evidence on net financial transfers suggests that the elderly with migrant children will receive similar levels of financial transfers as those without migrant children, the predicted variance associated with these transfers implies a higher risk that elderly with migrant children may fall into poverty. Reducing the risk of low incomes among the elderly is one important motive for new rural pension initiatives supported by China's government, which are scheduled to be expanded to cover all rural counties by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan in 2016.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Giles, John, Wang, Dewen, Zhao, Changbao
Language:	English
Published:	2010-12-01
Subjects:	ABSENCE OF TRANSFERS, ABSOLUTE POVERTY, ATTRITION, CHRONIC ILLNESS, CROWDING OUT, CULTURAL CHANGE, DECLINES IN FERTILITY, DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES, DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION, DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS, DEPENDENCY RATIO, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, ECONOMICS, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, ELDERLY, ELDERLY HOUSEHOLDS, ELDERLY POPULATION, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, EXTENDED FAMILY, FAMILY MEMBERS, FAMILY SIZE, FAMILY SUPPORT, FERTILITY, FERTILITY DECLINE, FERTILITY RATES, FOOD REQUIREMENTS, FUTURE POPULATION, HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS, HOUSING, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, IMPACT OF MIGRATION, INCOME, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, INCOME INEQUALITY, INCOME SUPPORT, INCOME TRANSFERS, INSURANCE, INTERGENERATIONAL SUPPORT, INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSFERS, LABOR ALLOCATION, LABOR MARKET, LABOR MARKETS, LABOR MIGRATION, LABOR MOBILITY, LABOR SUPPLY, LAND TENURE, LIVING STANDARDS, LONG-TERM CARE, MACROECONOMIC SHOCKS, MIGRANT, MIGRANT FAMILY, MIGRANT LABOR, NUTRITION, OLD AGE, OLD-AGE, OLDER ADULTS, OLDER PEOPLE, OWNERSHIP OF LAND, PENSION INCOME, PENSIONS, POLICY ANALYSIS, POLICY DISCUSSIONS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POLICY RESPONSE, POLITICAL ECONOMY, POOR, POOR AREAS, POOR PEOPLE, POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT, POPULATION CENSUS, POPULATION COUNCIL, POPULATION POLICIES, POPULATION PROJECTIONS, POPULATION RESEARCH, POPULATION STRUCTURE, POVERTY ASSESSMENT, POVERTY LINE, POVERTY LINES, POVERTY REDUCTION, POVERTY THRESHOLD, PRIVATE TRANSFERS, PROGRESS, PROVISION OF CARE, PROVISION OF SERVICES, PUBLIC POLICY, PUBLIC SERVICES, QUALITY OF CARE, REDUCTION IN POVERTY, REGIONAL INEQUALITY, REMITTANCES, REMOTE REGIONS, RESPECT, RETIREMENT, RETURN MIGRATION, RURAL, RURAL AREAS, RURAL COUNTIES, RURAL ECONOMY, RURAL HOUSEHOLD, RURAL HOUSEHOLDS, RURAL LIFE, RURAL MIGRANTS, RURAL POPULATION, RURAL POVERTY, RURAL RESIDENTS, SAFETY, SAFETY NET, SAFETY NET PROGRAMS, SAFETY NETS, SAVINGS, SCHOOLING, SEASONAL EMPLOYMENT, SOCIAL PROTECTION, SOCIAL SECURITY, SPOUSE, SPOUSES, STATE UNIVERSITY, TARGETING, TRADITIONAL FAMILY, TRADITIONAL VALUES, URBAN AREAS, URBAN MIGRATION, URBAN POPULATION, VULNERABILITY, VULNERABILITY TO POVERTY,
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20101221171745 https://hdl.handle.net/10986/3994
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