Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/58651 
Year of Publication: 
2011
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 6249
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Recent increases in Chinese elderly living alone or only with a spouse has raised concerns about elderly support, especially when public support is inadequate. However, using rich information from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we find that the increasing trend in living alone is accompanied with a rise in living close to each other. This type of living arrangement solves the conflicts between privacy/independence and family support. This is confirmed in further investigation: children living close by visit their parents more frequently. We also find that children who live far away provide a larger amount of net transfers to their parents, a result consistent with responsibility sharing among siblings. Having more children is associated with living with a child or having a child nearby, while investing more in a child's schooling is associated with greater net transfers to parents.
Subjects: 
living arrangement
coresidence
proximity of children
CHARLS
JEL: 
J12
J14
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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