The Aging Society Call for Home Renovation for the Elderly——An Exploration of Seniors’ Home Renovation in China

There is no doubt that China has stepped into an aging society.All data shows that China is overtaken by population aging reluctantly——it seems we are discussing how to deal with it last night but only to discover that it has already come nearby when waking up this morning,which gives us a kind of sudden panic.It can be said that China is really lack of preparation in responding to population aging.The threatening revolution of the elderly     

Girl adoption in China—A less-known side of son preference

In 1987, 4 per cent of girls were adopted within China. Why? Unlike infanticide, abandonment rids parents of daughters while preserving the supply of potential brides. In fact, an erstwhile tradition common in Fujian and Jiangxi provinces had parents of sons adopting an infant girl to serve as a future daughter-in-law and household help. Analysing a nationally representative 1992 survey of children, we found that: (1) girl adoptions were concentrated in the above-mentioned provinces; (2) girls were predominantly adopted by families with sons; (3) adopted girls faced substantial disadvantage as measured by school attendance at ages 8–13. In the 1990s, as the sex ratio at birth climbed, were girls aborted rather than abandoned? Observing that in the 2000 census too many girls appear in families with older sons, we estimated that at least 1/25 girls were abandoned in the 1990s, a proportion that in Fujian and Jiangxi may have peaked at 1/10 in 1994.     

The Ratio of the Elderly to the Working-age Population in Japan,Singapore and Thailand

ＴｈｅＲａｔｉｏｏｆｔｈｅＥｌｄｅｒｌｙｔｏｔｈｅＷｏｒｋｉｎｇ－ａｇｅＰｏｐｕｌａｔｉｏｎｉｎＪａｐａｎ,ＳｉｎｇａｐｏｒｅａｎｄＴｈａｉｌａｎｄＪａｐａｎＳｉｎｇａｐｏｒｅＴｈａｉｌａｎｄＯｆｔｈｅｗｏｒｋｉｎｇ－ａｇｅｐｏｐｕｌａｔｉｏｎａｇｅ...     

A Matter of Number,Age or Marriage? Children and Marital Dissolution in Italy

Previous research has shown that the number of children, their age and the timing of births relative to marriage are associated with the stability of the parental marital union. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of children in this multidimensional association as a determinant of disruption in Italy, a country where this research question is particularly interesting because of the traditional vision of the family, in terms of formation and dissolution procedures, family and gender roles, and obligations among family members. The relative risk of marital disruption is estimated using some discrete time event-history models. As expected, the findings show that children born in the marriage have a large protective effect on marital stability, a sizeable portion of which is not due to the children’s age. Conversely, children born out of wedlock do not inhibit marital disruption, but neither do they increase the risk as they do in other countries. This is probably because of the type of reproductive behaviour widespread in Italy.     

How Migration in Later Life Shapes Their Quality of Life: A Qualitative Investigation of the Well-Being of the “Drifting Elderly” in China

Social Indicators Research - China has experienced an increasing number of “drifting elderly” (elderly inter-province migrants because of non-employment reasons) due to urbanization and...     

The population statistics of China,A.D. 2–1953

Chinese population statistics are collated from the time of the Western Han Dynasty (A.D. 2) to 19 5 3, including statistics of population and households for provinces as well as for China as a whole. Evidence bearing on the definitions of the statistics, methods of compilation, and reliability of the figures as measures of population size and change, is summarized. An "emended series " of population totals for China proper, A.D. 2 to 1953 is presented, excluding figures which are clearly defective.     

The Effect of Adult Children’s Working Hours on Visits to Elderly Parents: A Natural Experiment in Korea

Population Research and Policy Review - Despite its significant policy implications, little is known about the impact working hours have on how often workers visit their elderly parents. Evidence...     

The Short-Term Impact of Involuntary Migration in China’s Three Gorges: A Prospective Study

The aim of this study is to measure the short-term impact of involuntary migration resulting from China’s Three Gorges Dam project on the 1.3 million persons being displaced. We focus on the social, economic, and mental and physical health impact using three sets of indicators. Using a prospective research design, we gathered information about these indicators from a sample of migrants first before they moved and then again after they moved. Changes in the migrants’ wellbeing during the period, when benchmarked to corresponding changes computed for a control group of non-migrants, are attributed to the impact of involuntary migration. Our results showed that although the displaced have enjoyed a relative gain in housing quality, most of the changes were in the negative direction and many of such negative changes were statistically significant.     

The Relation of Migration to Changing Household Headship Patterns in China, 1982–1987

The investigation of fertility change can involve the consideration of the results of micro-level empirical studies in the context of an economic theory of family formation. In particular, a change in the observable statistics can then be related to a change in behaviour, or factors influencing behaviour. The analysis of this relationship is hindered, however, by its complexity and by the large number of stochastic variables present. It is argued that an essential aid to such an analysis is the use of a model suitable for simulation. Here, we present such a model and illustrate possible applications with various experiments.     

The Decline of Smoking Among Female Birth Cohorts in China in the 20th Century: A Case of Arrested Diffusion?

The smoking prevalence by age of women in China is distinct from most other countries in showing more frequent smoking among older women than younger. Using newly developed birth cohort histories of smoking, the authors demonstrate that although over one quarter of women born 1908-1912 smoked, levels of smoking declined across successive cohorts. This occurred despite high rates of smoking by men and the wide availability of cigarettes. The analysis shows how this pattern is counter to that predicted by the leading theoretical perspectives on the diffusion of smoking and suggests that it arose out of a mix of Confucian traditions relating to gender and the socio-economic and political events early in the 20(th) century which placed emerging women's identities in conflict with national identities. That a similar pattern of smoking is evident in Japan and Korea, two countries with strong cultural affinities to China, is used to buttress the argument.     

“Even If She Learns,She Doesn’t Understand Properly”. Children’s Understandings of Illbeing and Poverty in Five Ethiopian Communities

The paper argues on the basis of data from Young Lives, an international study of childhood poverty, and an extensive review of child-centered poverty studies that experiences of relative poverty and social exclusion are as common and corrosive in contemporary Ethiopia as North America and Europe. If taken seriously, this insight could broaden the focus of child poverty reduction from nutrition and education to include the psychosocial costs of lacking the culturally-specific resources required for full participation in society. The paper makes a number of methodological points of value to researchers undertaking similar studies: firstly, poverty can be explored by asking about illbeing; secondly, children’s conceptions of poverty are profoundly social and context-specific; and thirdly, young children are just as able to address these themes as older ones.     

Family Development in China Steps into New Level and Enhancement of Interpersonal Harmony and Social Emotion Is Urgently Needed——Survey Report on Family Happiness in China

Family happiness is an important index to gauge national well-being. The demand of a family is the basic need for people’s livelihood. To understand the family development situation and the demand and mood of family members in China, the firstOnline Survey on Family Happiness in Chinawas launched     

If GDP is Not the Answer,What is the Question? The Juncture of Capabilities,Institutions and Measurement in the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Report

This review essay offers an institutional critique of the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Report. The notion of human capabilities and functionings advocated by the Report demonstrates an inspirational perspective to monitor human progress in quality of life (QoL). Several measurements the Report suggested remain inadequate. The personal diary techniques have some potential as it possesses strength in recording hedonic activities, but it is relatively weak in revealing eudaimonic experiences. The Report unfortunately mixes up outcome indicators of QoL at individual level and the higher-ordered, social institutions in mapping out causal processes of human wellbeing. Future researchers can contribute by concentrating on clarifying the plausible linkage between institutions and individual wellbeing in broad sense. There is much knowledge to be gained by researchers who ask questions of “how we can change” rather than answer to “what we can measure”     

Breaking Up Is Hard to Count: The Rise of Divorce in the United States, 1980–2010

This article critically evaluates the available data on trends in divorce in the United States. We find that both vital statistics and retrospective survey data on divorce after 1990 underestimate recent marital instability. These flawed data have led some analysts to conclude that divorce has been stable or declining for the past three decades. Using new data from the American Community Survey and controlling for changes in the age composition of the married population, we conclude that there was actually a substantial increase in age-standardized divorce rates between 1990 and 2008. Divorce rates have doubled over the past two decades among persons over age 35. Among the youngest couples, however, divorce rates are stable or declining. If current trends continue, overall age-standardized divorce rates could level off or even decline over the next few decades. We argue that the leveling of divorce among persons born since 1980 probably reflects the increasing selectivity of marriage.     

If My Blood Pressure Is High,Do I Take It to Heart? Behavioral Effects of Biomarker Collection in the Health and Retirement Study

Starting in 2006, respondents in the biennial U.S. Health and Retirement Study were asked to submit biomarkers every other wave and were notified of several results. Rates of undiagnosed high blood pressure and diabetes according to these biomarkers were 1.5 % and 0.7 %, respectively. An intent-to-treat analysis suggests that collection and notification had small effects on the average respondent and may have reduced health care utilization. Among respondents who received notification of potentially dangerous biomarker levels, subsequent rates of new diagnosis and associated pharmaceutical usage increased by 20 to 40 percentage points, an order of magnitude above baseline. High blood glucose A1C was associated with a 2.2 % drop in weight and an increase in exercise among respondents without a previous diagnosis of diabetes. Notifications appear also to have altered health behaviors by spouses, suggesting household responses to health maintenance. Biomarker collection seems to have altered circumstances for an interesting minority of HRS respondents.     

National Report on Population and Development——A report submitted by the People''''s Republic of China to the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference, August, 2002

I. Current Situation and Prospects of China's Population Development China is the most populous developing country in the world. A large population size, a weak economic base, and a lack of resources on a per capita basis form its basic national conditions. Many issues and difficulties encountered in the process of China's economic and social development are closely related to the population issues. Population is the principal factor and the major constraint to China's economic and soc…     

Causes and Consequences of FertilityDecline in China—A Talk by Minister Peng Peiyun with American Demographers at Harvard University on February 5,1998

ａｕｓｅｓａｎｄＣｏｎｓｅｑｕｅｎｃｅｓｏｆＦｅｒｔｉｌｉｔｙＤｅｃｌｉｎｅｉｎＣｈｉｎａ—ＡＴａｌｋｂｙＭｉｎｉｓｔｅｒＰｅｎｇＰｅｉｙｕｎｗｉｔｈＡｍｅｒｉｃａｎＤｅｍｏｇｒａｐｈｅｒｓａｔＨａｒｖａｒｄＵｎｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙｏｎＦｅｂｒｕａｒｙ５...