Filial piety, one of the "virtues to be held above all else" in Confucian ideals, has come under constant pressure in China's rapidly-aging society, both rural and urban. More and more Chinese are finding it difficult to strike a balance between hectic lifestyles and looking after their parents.
(Ecns.cn) – Jin Aiguo, a 54-year-old retired teacher, gets up before six every morning to check on her 78-year-old father, who has been bedridden since experiencing a cerebral hemorrhage two years ago, before cooking breakfast for her 3-year-old granddaughter.
Although Jin has many siblings, they are all occupied with busy jobs. She had planned to find a nurse for her father, but learned that very few agencies provide such a service.
"Many prefer looking after small children, but not bedridden or paralyzed elderly people," Jin told Xinhuanet.com. As a result, she was forced into early retirement to look after her father.
Li Jifen, an 83-year-old woman who lives in a small village in East China's Shandong Province, has been living with 81-year-old Jing Zhilan, another elderly villager, for the past two months. All of their children left home years ago to find work in cities.
Although their children invited them to move to the cities, Li and Jing say they would never get used to urban life, and preferred to stay put. As a last resort, their kids asked the two mothers to live together for safety's sake.
One couple for four parents
According to a report released on August 24 by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislative body, aging citizens will account for more than 30 percent of the country's total population by 2042, while elderly care facilities fall far short of meeting the growing demand.
Li Jianguo, vice chairman and general secretary of the Standing Committee of the NPC, said that China became a society of grey hairs in 1999, when the country was still industrializing and urbanizing.
Official statistics show that China now has more than 178 million people at or above the age of 60, more than 13 percent of its total population.
As families become smaller and more young people leave their hometowns for job opportunities in the city, it is becoming increasingly difficult for families to take care of their elder members.
By 2030, there will be an average of 2.5 people of working age for every senior citizen living in China, according to Li. The ratio stood at five to one last year.
As the old saying goes, "bring up children to provide against old age." Such a saying has become obsolete, however, as many young Chinese couples must now look after four elder family members (both of their parents) as well as their own child, said Zhang Xiaoqing, professor of population, resource and environment at Shandong Normal University.
Li's report suggests some ways to tackle the problem, such as establishing a national elderly care system, strengthening social security for the elderly and improving laws that protect the rights and interests of senior citizens.
