Vulnerability and resilience in symbiotic interaction: a qualitative study on the lived experiences of rural older women in China

Against the strategic backdrop of comprehensively advancing rural revitalization and actively addressing population aging, rural elderly women represent a structurally vulnerable group whose living conditions and coping strategies warrant in-depth exploration. Existing studies pre-dominantly view them as passive recipients of assistance and interpret the relationship between fragility and resilience through a linear lens. Based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 18 rural elderly women in Hakka rural areas of northeastern Guangdong, this study employs constructivist grounded theory to conduct three-level coding and develops an interactive “fragility-resilience symbiosis” model. The findings indicate first that the risks faced by this group arise from structural suppression resulting from the coupling of individual, familial, community, and cultural dimensions. The overlapping impacts of gender-based socialization, intergenerational outsourcing of maternal roles, and institutional neglect have deeply embedded fragility within local culture. Second, these women proactively cope by reconstructing cognitive frameworks, adjusting emotional support networks, and mobilizing social resources to sustain their daily lives despite structural constraints. Third, fragility and resilience are not opposing linear extremes but rather coexist and interweave amid repeated cycles of adaptation and disruption. Resilience is frequently attained at the expense of unrecognized, invisible labor. This research challenges the prevailing success-oriented narrative in resilience studies and redefines the agency boundaries of rural elderly women as constrained subjects. It advocates that relevant policies should transition from focusing solely on individual vulnerability assistance to prioritizing supportive system reconstruction, thereby offering a novel analytical framework for understanding the survival logic of vulnerable groups amidst rural social transformation.