“空巢”养老?城市第一代独生子女父母的居住方式及其启示

Elderly Care for“Empty Nesters”:Living Arrangement of the Parents of the First Only-Child Generation in Cities and its Implication

独生子女父母的养老保障与其年老时的居住方式紧密相关。利用两次抽样调查数据,分析城市第一代独生子女父母居住方式的现状与特征,结果表明:当前城市第一代独生子女父母的居住方式以"空巢"为主,比例达到60%左右,但其中真正对老年生活带来困境的"异地空巢"比例并不太大,只有约10%。第一代独生子女父母的居住方式因子女性别和婚姻类型的不同而有所区别。独生子的父母空巢比例低于独生女的父母;在各类子女婚姻类型中,与子女同住的比例均为男方父母高于女方父母,而异地空巢的比例则相反;与子女同住比例最高和最低的分别是男独女非家庭中的男方父母和双独家庭中的女方父母。同时,目前第一代独生子女父母的年龄主体尚处于60~70岁之间,真正大面积面临养老中的生活照料和精神慰藉困境主要在10年以后。据此,要尽可能在最近10年中建立起相应的养老保障和社会支持体系,使其有保障地安度晚年。

Elderly care for the parents of only children has much to do with their living arrangement in old age.Based on the data of two sampling surveys, this paper analyzes the current situation and characteristics of the living arrangement of the parents of the first only-child generation in cities. The results show that the parents of the first only-child generation in cities are mostly empty nesters(accounting for about 60%), but only a small proportion of them have difficulty in life(accounting for only 10%). The living arrangement of the parents of the first only-child generation varies due to differences of their children’s gender and marriage. The proportion of empty nesters of male only children is lower than that of empty nesters of female only children. In all kinds of marriages, more parents live with their sons than their daughters, but it is opposite when empty nesters and their children live in different cities. Among the parents who live with their children, the men’s parents in families where men are only children and women are non-only children accounts for the highest proportion, and women’s parents in families where both men and women are only children accounts for the lowest proportion. Moreover, the parents of the first only-child generation mostly range from60 to 70 years old, it is about ten year later that many of them may have difficulty getting proper care and consolation in everyday life. Therefore, we need to try our best to establish old-age security and social support system, allowing senior people to enjoy a comfortable and peaceful life.