Living arrangements of the elderly in China: Evidence from CHARLS

Arbeitspapier

Recent increases in Chinese elderly living alone or only with a spouse has raised concerns about elderly support, especially when public support is inadequate. However, using rich information from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we find that the increasing trend in living alone is accompanied with a rise in living close to each other. This type of living arrangement solves the conflicts between privacy/independence and family support. This is confirmed in further investigation: children living close by visit their parents more frequently. We also find that children who live far away provide a larger amount of net transfers to their parents, a result consistent with responsibility sharing among siblings. Having more children is associated with living with a child or having a child nearby, while investing more in a child's schooling is associated with greater net transfers to parents.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 6249

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse ; Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-labor Market Discrimination
• Subject: living arrangement ; coresidence ; proximity of children ; CHARLS ; Alte Menschen ; Wohnsoziologie ; Kinder ; Entfernung ; China

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Lei, Xiaoyan ; Strauss, John ; Tian, Meng ; Zhao, Yaohui
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2011

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/58651
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-201203014865
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET