Zhang
Historical Chinese family structures
Patrilineality: kinship system in which family membership goes through father’s side
Taking father’s last name is an example of patrilineality
In asian and other cultures, patrilineality often manifests through focus on parent-son relationship
Daughters will join husband’s family as primarily kin group
Sons expected to: inherit family assets, provide elder care for parents, continue bloodline, practice religious rituals such as ancestor worship
Filial piety: attitude or virtue of respect for parents, elders, one’s ancestors
Central to confucianism, chinese buddhism, daoism
patrilocality : practice wherein a recently married couple reside with or near the parents of the groom (part of extended family living)
Arranged marriage was historically practiced in china
Decline of patrilineality in China
Several of social reforms in post-1949 china worked to diminish power of patriarchs and patrilineages
Outlawing of arranged marriage in 1950
Ancestral lineage halls were confiscated, land incorporated by state
Historically lineage hall would have been very central part of lineage and social status, diminished b/c state took them
Increased education which brought people out of the patrilineage and into large social structures
Instead of ex. Getting job through kin network, could now do exams to get into college/get a job etc, doesn’t depend just on kin networks
One child policy may contribute to decline of patrilineality through diluting extended ties → fewer kin, smaller families
Skewed sex ratio got bad in china but now improving →
Zhang et all also speculate economic development since 1978 in China may have contributed to this shift
Intergenerational exchange
Can be upward or downward
In us and many other countries most exchanges are downward (in quantity and economic value)
Exchanges can be economic or care provision → ex paying for college, feeding you, watching your children
Can also be upward, ex if we take care of our elderly parents
In patrilocal societies, became women enter husband’s family after marriage, they often did not engage in further exchanges with their parents (natal family)
Historically, intergenerational exchanges swerve primarily between sons and their parents
Idea of daughters costing more than sons, because you invest but they eventually leave for another family → while investing in sons was an investment in your own future as they would come back and support you
Bride price
Bride price: groom’s family pays because bride will do a lot of labor for the family
Dowry: bride pays groom’s family, giving you money because you’re gonna take care of her/she’s your responsibility now
Zhang reading
Mixed-method longitudinal study
3 major considerations that affected parents’ choice of grandparent caregiving for their child
Grandmother’s availability
Grandmother’s qualifications
Wish to avoid intergenerational conflict
Intensive parenting described in study: cold-centered, expert-guided, labor-intensive
How does being an only child impact grandparent caregiving decision?
When parent was an only child, mother more likely to be chosen
Grandparents doing about 69 hours per week of caregiving for children → usually more than the mom did
Increased reliance on maternal grandmother caregiving reflect renegotiated intergenerational relations in china
Autonomy, no more expectations to just provide for son
Decreased power of paternal grandparents
Gender relations changing in families
Limited change in marital relations but increased influence of singleton daughters - their mothers can provide childcare to support daughters + daughter’s career
What are the causes of the shift to child-centered familial focus (“descending familism”)?
Demographic changes and increased competition in society leads to more focus on downward transfers to children
Increasing presence of 4-2-1 families: 1 child focus of both 2 parents and 4 grandparents, so more emphasis on them succeeding to do well