Editing One-child policy (section)

=== Impact on elder care ===
China's one-child policy had significant implications for many aspects of Chinese society, including care for elderly populations. In "Gender and elder care in China: the influence of filial piety and structural constraints," authors Zhan and Montgomery suggest that the decline of traditional family support networks began with the establishment of work units in the socialist period.<ref name=":20">{{Cite journal |last1=Zhan |first1=Heying Jenny |last2=Montgomery |first2=Rhonda J. V. |date=2003 |title=Gender and elder care in China: the influence of filial piety and structural constraints |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0891243202250734 |journal=[[Gender & Society]] |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=209–229 |doi=10.1177/0891243202250734 |issn=0891-2432 |s2cid=145613860}}</ref> These collectives were meant to offer healthcare and housing to their workers. With the economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s, many of the work units dissolved, leaving many elderly workers without the social support they once had.<ref name=":20" /> This was exacerbated by the one-child policy because many families now only had one child to care for elderly parents, leading to increased pressure and responsibility for the sole caregiver.<ref name=":20" />

According to a study by Gustafson (2014), the one-child policy has led to a significant decrease in the availability of family caregivers for the elderly in China.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gustafson |first1=Kiira |last2=Baofeng |first2=Huang |date=2014 |title=Elderly Care and the One-Child Policy: Concerns, Expectations and Preparations for Elderly Life in a Rural Chinese Township |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10823-013-9218-1 |journal=Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology |language=en |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=25–36 |doi=10.1007/s10823-013-9218-1 |issn=0169-3816 |pmid=24384809 |s2cid=254602032}}</ref> So, tens of millions of retirees now only have one child to rely on for care. This has led to an "inverted pyramid", in which two sets of elderly parents must rely on a single married couple of two adult children (each of whom is an only child with no siblings), who in turn have produced a single child on whom the family must eventually rely on in the next generation.

The one-child policy in China has had a significant impact on filial piety and elder care. Filial piety is a traditional Confucian value that emphasizes respect, obedience, and care for one's parents and elders.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Wendy Wen |last2=Singh |first2=Smita |last3=Keerthigha |first3=C. |date=2021 |title=A Cross-Cultural Study of Filial Piety and Palliative Care Knowledge: Moderating Effect of Culture and Universality of Filial Piety |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |volume=12 |page=787724 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.787724 |issn=1664-1078 |pmc=8678124 |pmid=34925189 |doi-access=free}}</ref> However, the one-child policy has led to a smaller pool of potential caregivers for elderly parents, and has also contributed to a shift in attitudes toward elder care.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cheng |first1=Sheung-Tak |last2=Chan |first2=Alfred C. M. |date=2006 |title=Filial piety and psychological well-being in well older Chinese |journal=The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences |volume=61 |issue=5 |pages=P262–269 |doi=10.1093/geronb/61.5.p262 |issn=1079-5014 |pmid=16960229 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":21">{{Cite journal |last=Chou |first=R. J.-A. |date=2010-08-09 |title=Filial Piety by Contract? The Emergence, Implementation, and Implications of the "Family Support Agreement" in China |journal=The Gerontologist |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=3–16 |doi=10.1093/geront/gnq059 |issn=0016-9013 |pmid=20696793 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

One study found that the one-child policy has led to a decline in filial piety in China, as fewer children are responsible for caring for their elderly parents. The study also found that the one-child policy has led to a shift in the responsibility for elder care from the family to the state.<ref name=":21" /> For example, Feng argued in 2010 that the Chinese government had increased efforts to build residential elder care services by actively promoting the construction of senior housing, homes for the aged, and nursing homes.<ref name=":21" /> This included government-sponsored subsidies to spur construction and operation of new facilities.<ref name=":21" /> The Virtual Elder Care Home{{Clarify|reason=Is this a proper noun?|date=June 2023}} has gained popularity, which features home-care agencies providing a wide range of personal care and homemaker services in elders' homes.<ref name=":21" /> Services are initiated by phone calls to a local government-sponsored information and service center, which then directs a qualified service provider to the elder's home. Participating providers contract with the local government and are reimbursed for services purchased by the government on behalf of eligible care recipients.<ref name=":21" /> While these programs are mainly centered in urban areas, current policy directives in rural areas favor institutions by encouraging "centralized support and care" in rural homes that are run and subsidized by the local government.<ref name=":21" /> For rural elders who do not have the option to turn to residential facilities, many have resorted to signing a "family support agreement" contract with adult children to ensure needed support and care.<ref name=":21" />

Furthermore, another study found that the one-child policy has had a significant impact on the quality of elder care in China, with many elderly parents reporting feeling neglected and abandoned by their adult children. This is due to a lack of resources and support from the younger generation.<ref name="auto5">{{Cite journal |last1=Qin |first1=Xuezheng |last2=Zhuang |first2=Castiel Chen |last3=Yang |first3=Rudai |date=2017 |title=Does the one-child policy improve children's human capital in urban China? A regression discontinuity design |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2016.09.001 |journal=Journal of Comparative Economics |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=287–303 |doi=10.1016/j.jce.2016.09.001 |issn=0147-5967}}</ref>