"Ageing in rural China: migration and care circulation" with Dr Jieyu Liu

Past Event

Date
01 February 2018, 3:00pm - 4:30pm

Location
Oxford Institute of Population Ageing
66 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 6PR

This Seminar Series is organised by the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing

This paper applies the concept of care circulation to the processes involved in the care of old people in rural China,an area which has hitherto been predominantly located in a quantitatively based intergenerational transfer framework. Drawing upon a qualitative study of rural families in the context of rural to urban migration, this article examines the multidirectional and asymmetrical exchanges of caregiving and care-receiving and seeks to provide a more nuanced understanding of the impact of migration upon ageing and familial care in rural China. First, going beyond a unidirectional flow or two-way transfer, this article reveals that care circulates between different family members, in different locations, to differing degrees, over the life course. This circulation framework enables an examination of intra-generational dynamics as well as intergenerational relations. Second, this article draws attention to the mediating factors that impact upon the ways in which adult children care for the older generation. It reveals how the employment status of migrating adult children, the temporal dimension of migration and family life cycle of migrating children as well as family relations between the older generation and adult child generation are critical factors. These factors also contribute to the quality of care provided. Finally, while confirming existing scholarship that gender is an important dimension in structuring old age support in rural China, this article calls for a more differentiated approach among generations of women and between regions, revealing the ways in which local migration history interacts with intergenerational dynamics to determine the cohort of women that endure the greatest burden of care.

All welcome, no need to register to attend. Join us for coffee and cake afterwards.

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About the speaker

Dr Liu gained her PhD from the University of York and had taught at Sussex (Gender Studies and Sociology), Glasgow (Sociology) and Leeds (East Asian Studies) before taking up her present post. Trained as a feminist sociologist, Dr Liu specialises in sociology of gender with a regional focus on China and other East Asian societies. She has published widely on gender, sexuality and socio-economic development in China.