Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.12, 2015

The Contemporary Transition of the Chinese Family and the Reconstruction of Family Policy

(Abstract)

Peng Xizhe and Hu Zhan

The contemporary Chinese family is experiencing a twofold population and family transition that is embedded in social transition. Analysis of China’s demographic data for 1982-2010 show that the downsizing of the family and the simplification of family structure; family aging and corresponding changes in living patterns; and the appearance of great numbers of non-traditional family types constitute the major trends in the changes in family households. The contemporary Chinese family is marked by “nuclearization of form” and “networking of functions.” Most Chinese nuclear families exist in form rather than substance, so we cannot simply attribute Chinese family transition to nuclearization. The existing family policy is characterized by the game between “de-familialization” and “re-familialization.” There is an urgent need to reconstruct existing Chinese family policy and to support and guide the development of the modern Chinese family on the basis of respect for tradition and grasping trends.