‘China’s traditional way being challenged’: 60% Chinese above 60 are empty nesters
Chinese men outside a house (File photo)
As a result of one-child policy of 1970s, the average number of children per household was noted dropped by 0.6 from 2011 to 2021. Now the average is 2.6 children per household. The survey also found that nearly 50 per cent of those willing to live in nursing homes could afford to pay up to US $140 only in monthly fees.
A recent survey in China found that around 60 per cent of Chinese with the age of 60 and above are empty nesters, and most of them are unable to afford living in a nursing home.
The number of empty nesters with the particular age group has increased more than 10 per cent in the last 10 years in China.
The nationwide survey, which gets conducted every five years by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, found that people in the age bracket of 60 and above were also less dependent on their children.
As a result of China's one-child policy of the 1970s, the average number of children per household dropped by 0.6 from 2011 to 2021.
Now, the new average is 2.6 children per household in China.
The pollalso noted that nearly 50 per cent of people willing to live in nursing homes could afford to pay up to US $140 only in monthly fees, which makes most aged care facilities out of reach in cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
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The cost of aged care facilities is more than US $700 a month in such big cities of China.
The National Committee on Ageing wrote in the survey report thatChina’s 'traditional way' of relying on children to support their elderly parents is being 'seriously challenged'.
The committee also said, “The rapid growth of the empty-nest elderly population calls for better care services and coordinated policies to improve their well-being.”
The survey also showed a major gap in the annual incomes of people in the particular age group living in urban and rural areas.
For people living in urban areas, the average annual income is around US $6,600, which is more than three times of rural's US $1,900.
For people with age 60 and above, pensions are the primary source of income, but the fund for the pension is expected to dry up by the year 2035. Hence, the government is now encouraging these people to restart their careers.
The survey said, “The health status of older people has been improving, and an increasing number of younger seniors—those aged between 60 and 69—are getting jobs.”
(With inputs from agencies)
