Intra‐family Income Redistribution and Its Dynamic Changes among the Elderly in China: 2002–2018

Abstract

AbstractThis paper studies the impact of household income redistribution on income inequality among the elderly from 2002 to 2018. It defines shared income and measures how each family member's contributions affect income inequality among the elderly. The study has three major findings. First, from 2013 to 2018, the role of household shared income in reducing income inequality among the elderly increased. Second, the proportion of shared income contributed by children was the highest overall, reaching 11.0 percent nationwide and even 17.9 percent in rural areas in 2018. The contribution of shared income to inequality was also higher among the rural elderly. Grandchildren under 16 largely received shared income from the elderly, and the income transferred by the male elderly to their wives was obvious. Third, changes in family structure narrowed the inequality gap among the elderly in the periods 2002–2013 and 2013–2018.