Health and Social Constraints for The Elder Chinese Women Who Lose Their Only Child and Spouse: A Perspective of Resilience

Yan Li

doi:10.18875/jpmc.2021.1.101

Abstract

Ageing Chinese people who lose their only child are a newly developed vulnerable group as the result of the one child policy in China. As an integral part of this group, women who lost their only child and spouse are more vulnerable and have their own particularity. From the perspective of resilience, this study applies the qualitative methods to explore the resilience of women who have lost their only child and spouse from the interaction of risk factors and protective factors at individual and environment levels.

Highlights

The One-Child Policy was replaced by the universal Two-Child Policy in China in 2016, it does not mean the repercussion of the One-Child policy should be ignored
Social risks and accidents include illnesses or traffic accidents and suicide. After losing their only child, there are two reasons leading to the emergence of childless women who lose their spouse. Their husbands died from the diseases which became more serious after losing only child; and second, their husbands divorced them after losing the only child, The study found that 14 couples had broken up following the death of their child, because it is easier for male parent to remarry a younger wife and have another child, especially in China as many Chinese men see only the son can carry on the family line
Women who have lost their only child and spouse are over 50 years old and have experienced the alternation of the old and the new society

Summary

Introduction

J Palliat and Med Care the One-Child Policy was replaced by the universal Two-Child Policy in China in 2016, it does not mean the repercussion of the One-Child policy should be ignored. When the only child dies because of social risks, accidents and illnesses, at the age when parents are unable to reproduce, this causes unbearable impairments on their physical health, psychological trauma, and social aspects, including poor economic conditions, lack of daily care, no one to take care of them, unstable family relations, difficulties in social integration [2]. Discrimination against this vulnerable group as a result of the long-standing superstition and ignorance persists

Methods

Results

Conclusion