Song Yu
Associate Professor, School of Economics and Management, Zhejiang Sci-tech University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Reprod Health Matters. 2014 May;22(43):113-24. doi: 10.1016/S0968-8080(14)43755-8.
China has had the one-child policy for more than 30 years. It reduced China's population growth within a short period of time and promoted economic development. However, it has also led to difficulties, and this paper focuses on those which pertain to ageing and losing one's only child. Approximately one million families have lost their only child in China. They suffer mentally and physically, and sometimes face social stigma and economic loss. What worries them most, however, is elderly care, which has become a severe crisis for the families who have lost their only children. This article draws upon several qualitative studies and 12 cases reported by the Chinese media in 2012 and 2013, and existing laws and policies for supporting those who have lost only children. It also analyses the current elderly care situation facing these families. The Chinese government has recognized the predicament and provides some help, which is increasing but is still not always adequate. To both sustain China's economic development and limit population growth, it is essential for the government to reform the one-child policy and provide a comprehensive support system for the families who have lost their only children, including financial relief and elderly care, and work to reduce stigma against these families.
中国实行独生子女政策已有30多年。它在短时间内降低了中国的人口增长，促进了经济发展。然而，它也带来了一些困难，本文关注的是与老龄化和失独相关的问题。在中国，约有100万个家庭失去了他们的独生子女。他们身心俱疲，有时还面临社会歧视和经济损失。然而，最让他们担心的是养老问题，这已成为失独家庭面临的严峻危机。本文借鉴了多项定性研究以及中国媒体在2012年和2013年报道的12个案例，还有现有的支持失独家庭的法律法规和政策。同时，分析了这些家庭当前面临的养老状况。中国政府已经认识到这一困境并提供了一些帮助，这些帮助在不断增加，但仍不总是足够的。为了既维持中国的经济发展又控制人口增长，政府改革独生子女政策并为失独家庭提供一个全面的支持体系至关重要，包括经济救助和养老保障，并努力减少对这些家庭的歧视。
