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Caring for Ageing Parents in the Migration Era

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Abstract

In Dougou, families are linked together through intergenerational webs. The ‘linked lives’ in Dougou influence the care provided to the elderly parents. The three sections of this chapter discuss, first, the negotiation and practice of elderly care among adult siblings; second, the negotiation of elderly care between husbands and wives; and third, the roles of emotions (especially deeply held ill feelings towards parents or parents-in-law) in elderly care. Processes and strategies for negotiating and practicing elderly care are constrained by a range of factors, including adult children’s place of employment, relationships with other family members and financial situations. Families negotiate elderly care to different degrees of success, thus differentially affecting elderly care provided to parents and parents-in-law.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Here, ‘moral capital’ refers specifically to that circulating within intergenerational relationships.

  2. 2.

    It is popular in Dougou to take one’s bowl outside to eat while chatting with others on the street.

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Cao, F. (2019). Caring for Ageing Parents in the Migration Era. In: Elderly Care, Intergenerational Relationships and Social Change in Rural China. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2962-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2962-3_7

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-2961-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-2962-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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