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The Marginalisation of the Rural Elders

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Elderly Care, Intergenerational Relationships and Social Change in Rural China

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Abstract

One of the major consequences of the migrant work economy is the decline in the social status of rural elderly people. The diminishing status of the elderly affects them in many ways. In this chapter, I present interview data that demonstrate the marginalisation of the rural elders as a result of the migrant work economy, such as shifts in domestic arrangements, emotional crises among Dougou elders and role reversals between mothers and daughters-in-law. In this chapter, I also note the erosion of traditional customs and the loosening of social controls associated with filialness.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The collective farming system was developed in the 1950s. Initially, small collective farming teams were formed by a couple of households, who shared farming tools and farmed the land together. Agricultural produce was distributed among the team members. Later, the team was enlarged to incorporate additional households, operating similarly to the initial teams. Finally, in the late 1950s, rural communes were established, which usually consisted of all the households in several villages. In this way, land became collectively owned.

  2. 2.

    At the time of my fieldwork, Gangcheng and his family lived in Dougou all year around because he worked locally.

  3. 3.

    It is a custom to send good food such as dumplings to elders in the early morning of the Spring Festival day.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Fang Cao

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  1. Fang Cao
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Cao, F. (2019). The Marginalisation of the Rural Elders. In: Elderly Care, Intergenerational Relationships and Social Change in Rural China. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2962-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2962-3_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-2961-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-2962-3

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