Elderly care and the one-child policy: concerns, expectations and preparations for elderly life in a rural Chinese township.

Several studies have looked at the effect of the one-child policy on elderly care in China. This study compares the differences in concerns, expectations and preparations for elderly life of parents of reproductive age between one- and two-child families in a rural Chinese village. With support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, 800 one- and two-child families were surveyed from 2009 to 2010. The data showed that the parents of one-child families were significantly more concerned about being abandoned in old age. There was a discrepancy between parents' preferences and expectations for elderly care: while many parents "preferred" to live with their children in old age, only a small percentage "expected" to co-reside with their adult children. Some elders even preferred to live in elderly care institutions, indicating a change in the perception and accessibility of these institutions, which have historically been stigmatized and heavily restricted. As China's population ages, there is increased need for expanded services and alternatives to the traditional model of co-residence for the rural elderly.