Erosion of Eldercare in China: a Socio-Ethical Inquiry in Aging, Elderly Suicide and the Government’s Responsibilities in the Context of the One-Child Policy

Abstract

More than 200 million elderly people now live in China, about 15 % of the total Chinese population, equivalent to the fifth most populous country in the world. China’s “one-child policy” significantly accelerated the advent of an aging society, radically altered the structure of the population, and made eldercare a more challenging task. The oldest population group and families who lose the single child are rapidly increasing. Most alarmingly, suicide rates among elderly Chinese are extremely high and rocketing: rates escalated at old age and peaked in the oldest group (i.e., the older the cohort, the higher the rate); victims aged 65 and over accounted for 44 % of all suicides and rural male suicides were three to five times higher than their urban counterparts. The Chinese governmental expenditures on healthcare have been persistently below the global averages and China’s growth rates in GDP. These factors highlight the failed policies of the government and the inadequacy of the official Chinese approach to eldercare. Taking a socio-ethical perspective, this paper defines eldercare as first of all a moral endeavour, not merely an economic problem; emphasizes the duty of care owed by the government and state, not just individuals and families; and treats eldercare as a matter of social justice, human dignity and human rights, rather than merely a charity. From the socio-ethical inquiry, this paper also makes some legal and social policy recommendations.