Filial norms and intergenerational support to aging parents in China and Taiwan

Abstract

This study compared intergenerational relations in China and Taiwan. It has been assumed that cultural homogeneity results in filial norms being the shared dominant family value. However, due to different socio-economic experiences, other situational factors could produce different effects in China and Taiwan. Specifically, geographical distance, parental demands, and children's resources were incorporated in the analysis. We suspected that different situational factors might interact with filial norms in producing varying effects on intergenerational support. Data were taken from the 2006 East Asian Social Survey. Results confirmed that the patriarchal family model of intergenerational support remains strong in both China and Taiwan. The traditional Chinese filial norms significantly accounted for all aspects of intergenerational support examined.