Eldercare or childcare: intergenerational distribution in Chinese families facing care deficits

Abstract In the face of an aging population and declining birth rates, urban Chinese families are grappling with a new challenge of simultaneously caring for both elderly parents and children. This study employs a three-generational analytical framework and a mixed research method to examine the intergenerational distribution of care resources and its consequences for urban Chinese families. The findings reveal intergenerational competition for care resources within families, with a general tendency to prioritize children and only respond to crisis situations for elderly parents; this leads to a care deficit for older individuals. Furthermore, social care resources are ineffective in bridging this care gap, thereby inducing anxiety within families as they strive to balance the care needs of both elderly parents and children. The study argues that insufficient support from care policies exacerbates the resource squeeze on the elderly side by the children’s side within families, which calls for enhancing the policy support system to help families balance eldercare, childcare, and work commitments.