Older Carers and Social Division of Welfare in China

Abstract

This study used the social division of welfare approach to analyze how Chinese older carers have access unequally to pensions, medical insurance, and public assistance schemes. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 40 older carers aged 60 years or above who were taking care of their family members with disabilities or chronic illnesses. The amount of pension and coverage of medical insurance of these respondents and their care recipients was affected by their employment, types of employers, and living locations. Moreover, the older carers’ capacity to address financial and medical burdens was associated with the available support from their family members, especially their adult children. This paper concludes that the social division of welfare amongst older carers was driven by China’s market-oriented pension and medical insurance reforms, decentralization of welfare provisions, and the welfare capacity of families. Future studies can examine the social division of welfare among young and minority ethnic carers and adopt a comparative approach to analyze factors shaping unequal access to welfare benefits among older carers in different countries.

Keywords:

• Social division of welfare
• older carers
• market-oriented pension and medical schemes
• decentralization
• family capacities

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Lingnan University’s Direct Grant, and the grant number is DR20B6.

Notes on contributors

Chak Kwan Chan

Chak Kwan Chan received his Ph.D. (Social Policy) at Sheffield University in 1996. He is currently Director and Research Professor of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies at Lingnan University. His research interests are informal caregivers, ageing in place, and social welfare in mainland China and Hong Kong. His research studies was published in social work and social policy journals such as British Journal of Social Work, Journal of Social Policy, Critical Social Policy, Social Policy and Administration, and Social Service Review.

Jianling Liang

Jianling Liang is a lecturer in the Department of Social Work at Wuyi University of China. Her research areas are home-based care services and informal carers of elderly people. She is President of Jiangmen Gerontology Society and Director of Jiangmen Heng-Ai Social Work Association. She was commended by the Guangdong Provincial Government for her contributions in phone call services and home-based care services for frail and sick users in Jiangmen City. Liang is currently a student of Doctor of Social Work program at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Meng Soi Florence Fong

Meng Soi Florence Fong received her Ph.D. at Sheffield University in 2009. Currently, she is a Senior Lecturer at the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies of Lingnan University. Her main research interests are intergenerational relationships, informal caregivers, ageing in place and gerontechnology. She has a deep knowledge in applied research and longstanding experience in supervising postgraduates and social practitioners to conduct research, organize community projects, develop protocols and assessment tools to evaluate their effectiveness and impacts.

Sheung Wan Wong

Sheung Wan Wong received her BA (Hons) in Health and Social Services Management at Lingnan University. She was Project Officer at the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies, supporting the implementation of research and community projects. Wong has dedicated her academic pursuits to understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by the elderly, aiming to contribute to more effective social policies and practices in this area.