当代中国家庭变迁:特征、趋势与展望

Family Changes in Contemporary China: Characteristics, Trends, and Prospects

家庭变迁是探讨中国社会变迁的重要视角。基于中国社会转型的大背景,结合历次全国人口普查数据,从家庭规模、家庭关系、家庭策略3个方面对20世纪以来特别是改革开放以后中国家庭变迁的特征和趋势进行多维度分析。研究认为,改革开放以后,中国家庭规模日益小型化,家庭代际结构转向以一代户为主,家庭类型呈现多样化趋势且以核心家庭为主;家庭关系趋向平等化和民主化,家庭生产功能日益扩大化,家庭赡养功能在城乡之间呈现不同特点,一些家庭问题开始凸显;在城乡中国和全球化背景下,家庭策略选择表现为当代中国家庭在应对复杂多元社会变迁时的主动调整与适应。未来中国家庭类型在日渐多元化的同时,将依旧以核心家庭和主干家庭为主。

Family change is an important perspective to unveil social changes in China. Drawing upon data from population censuses, this paper examines the characteristics and trends of Chinese family change over the past several decades, particularly after China’s reform and opening-up, focusing on family size, family relationship, and family strategy. Chinese household size has been declining, and the family intergenerational structure has shifted to one generation households, with family types being diversified and dominated by nuclear families. Family relationships tend to become more equal and democratic, family production function is increasingly expanded, while family support function presents different characteristics between urban and rural areas. Under the changing urban-rural divide in China and globalization, the option of family strategies has been manifested in the active adjustment and adaptation of contemporary Chinese families in response to the rapid and complex social changes. While being dominated by nuclear and stem families, Chinese traditional family patterns would become increasingly diversified in the future.