Care of the elderly is one of the primary duties of filial piety, and it is an honored — and honorable—practice thoroughly integrated with the daily life of extended families as they share the same household.
But modernization and urbanization in Taiwan have caused striking changes in the physical proximity of family members as they become more fragmented into nuclear family arrangements. This shift in the basic interactive structure of the family has also forced alterations in the patterns of ethical activity. These in turn have influenced the attitudes of family members about living together.
Dr. Lin Mei-jen, a professor in the Department of Psychology at National Chengchi University in Taipei, has done extensive research on these shifts in attitudes. In the following article, she presents recent research results on this topic, and assesses their implications for governmental policy on senior citizens.
Despite a growing trend in Taiwan toward fragmentation of the traditional extended family with three or four generations under the same roof, recent studies by the government and university researchers show that approximately 73 percent of the elderly still live with their children. But the results of the author's own research in 1987 indicate that there are alterations in altitudes and expectations among both elders and their children about living together. Tradition is being modified, and there are indications that the government may have to begin playing a larger role in the care of senior citizens.
To learn how elders and their adult children interact together, a random selection was made of 270 extended families residing in the city and county of Taipei. Of these, 221 families gave full interviews, which were based upon a questionnaire of open-ended questions. Only 41 families refused to be interviewed; another eight families initially agreed to be interviewed, but these were incomplete due to a refusal by grandparents or parents to participate. The response rate was a high 82 percent, no doubt partially due to the personal interview approach rather than an impersonal mailed questionnaire.
Upon completion of the study, a total of 125 grandfathers, 182 grand mothers, 159 fathers, and 168 mothers had been interviewed. The larger number of grandmothers in the sample was due to the fact that the interviews were conducted during the day, when women were more available for interviews and men often were at work, and that demographically women tend to outnumber men in higher age groups.
Among these 221 families, only 22 were four-generation families. To be consistent with the rest of the sample, the interviewer interviewed either the first through third generations or the second through fourth generations.
The study had several research goals, but two questions in the questionnaire were related directly to overall attitudes about living together in an extended family environment. These are: (1) "Do you think that a parent (grandparent) living with his or her child and grandchild [this includes parents-in-law] is an ideal family situation?" and (2) "If you had the choice to live or not to live with your child and grandchild, would you do so?"
The replies to the first question by grandparents show that more than 90 percent thought that living with children and grandchildren was an ideal family situation. But the results of the second question were considerably more varied. While two-thirds gave affirmative replies, a full one-third of the grandparents gave negative answers to the question.
More than 90 percent of the fathers and 85 percent of the mothers replied to the first question affirmatively, saying that living with parents or parents-in-law was an ideal family situation. To the second question, more than one-third of the fathers and less than half of the mothers gave negative replies to the question: "If you had the choice to live or not to live with your parents or parents-in-law, would you do so?" Less than two-thirds of the fathers and more than half of the mothers answered the same question positively.
Because the questionnaire included open-ended questions, the respondents gave reasons for their answers. From the replies given by grandparents, it is clear that they prefer to live with their children and grandchildren in part because they see it as a tradition, the way "it's supposed to be." Since parents care for their children during their period of dependency, children should care for their parents during their period of dependency. This system of mutual care in the parent-child relationship is a prominent characteristic of the traditional Chinese family.
The results also indicated that Chinese parents generally prefer to live with their own parents or parents-in-law. However, mothers indicated they were less likely to prefer living with them than the fathers were. Regardless of what they prefer, they all see that living together is Chinese tradition. It provides an environment where children can respect and care for their parents, and in return they can receive assistance in the family. Living together facilitates care of parents and children simultaneously, and it costs less.
The answers from older people and their adult children about living together prompted the interviewer to raise some issues with regard to the living arrangements of old persons, the problem of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship, and social services for the elderly in contemporary Taiwan. The results are instructive.
First, despite the high percentage of grandparents and children who thought that living together was an ideal family situation, a full one-third of the grandparents said that they would live separately if they had the choice. Their explanations indicated an acceptable variation on family interaction patterns. Frequent replies, for example, were: "I would live separately if I could see my children and grandchildren very often" and "I would, if the children lived nearby." Clearly, no break in family ties was contemplated, just a more elastic form of interaction in which separate living accommodations would not interfere with mutual visits among elders and their children and grandchildren. Moreover, it was indicated that such visits could well involve various forms of assistance and services. Thus, despite the physical separation in living arrangements, close ties between generations would still be maintained.
Second, about one-third of the grandparents and fathers, and just under one-half of the mothers, indicated that they would not live together if they had a choice. The latter might be due to the problem of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships (most of the subjects were living with their sons). This is supported by the reasons most commonly given for this attitude. For example, the following replies were given most frequently by grandparents: "When my daughter-in-law does not do what she is supposed to do, things are left to the grandparents to do" and "More people in the family means that it is easy for conflicts to arise, especially between grandmother and daughter-in-law."
Comments frequently heard from parents were: "As long as my parents-in-law are not stubborn and verbose" and "Mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws are incompatible" and "The children will be spoiled by their grandparents." A common remark in summary was simply: "Living together is complicated and troublesome." Even though these statements indicate a degree of dissatisfaction if not turmoil in some extended family settings, less than one-third would actually choose to live separately.
Third, since grandparents were living with their adult children and grandchildren, the issue of caring for the elderly in the family was also raised during the interviews. The replies generally indicated an awareness that currently in Taiwan very few "support systems" exist to assist families in looking after the elderly. There are some specific services available, including free public accommodations, long-term care agencies, and homemaker services, but they are limited to those elderly who have low-incomes and live alone.
While there are private non-subsidized accommodations and long-term care agencies for those with average incomes, their availability does not yet meet demand. The same is true of other public services-provided under the 1980 Welfare Law for the Aged. It seems that these services are also geared primarily to the few senior citizens who live alone, while they do not benefit those who live with their adult children.
The overall findings of this study show that to date the traditional family attitudes toward living in a multi-generational setting have not changed substantially. But the study also indicates that if more tangible support from public agencies were forthcoming, from either the central or local governments, some elderly people would choose to live apart from their children. Of greater importance, should the government institute various aid programs such as a social security system like the one in the U.S., this would assist all families with the often expensive care of senior family members. This sort of "support system" is already in great demand. Whether or not extended families choose to live under the same roof, the optimum care of senior citizens will increasingly depend upon various public forms of assistance. There is no significant change in attitude toward the duty of serving the aged, only a change in the financial ability to accomplish it.