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Explaining Family Changes in Rural China

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Elderly Care, Intergenerational Relationships and Social Change in Rural China

Abstract

In this chapter, I explain the changes in family life in rural China, as demonstrated through my ethnographic and interview data from Chaps. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, by applying social exchange theory, Carol Smart’s personal life approach and David Morgan’s family practices approach. The following issues are discussed: disruptions to traditional intergenerational exchange patterns, whether filial piety is declining in rural China, continuity of traditional family values on the one hand and the declining ‘regulative tradition’ (rules that regulate people’s behaviors) on the other hand, and changing family practices and elderly care practices in rural China.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Early family division (house division) usually refers to family division shortly after one adult son’s marriage, which ranges from a few months to a few years.

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  1. La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Fang Cao

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Cao, F. (2019). Explaining Family Changes in Rural China. In: Elderly Care, Intergenerational Relationships and Social Change in Rural China. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2962-3_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2962-3_8

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore

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