Parent care in transnational families: Experiences of Taiwanese-Chinese families in Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

The growing phenomenon of transnational families has exacerbated the problems of eldercare in many countries in the world. In East Asian societies where women and family continue to play dominant roles in the care of the elderly, how transnational migration and family separation has reconfigured traditional gendered norms and conventional ways of family-based parent care has been under-studied. This chapter reviews the relevant literature on aged care in East Asia before turning to discuss our empirical research based on in-depth interviews with Taiwanese-Chinese immigrants in Australia and New Zealand where adult children are providing care to their aged parents living in Taiwan. Gender differences of transnational caregivers’ attitudes towards filial piety, how filial responsibilities are performed through transnational care-giving, and how care responsibilities are shared among children, especially daughters and daughters-in-law, are examined. This chapter hopes to contribute an important perspective to the literature related to gender, ageing and health of elderly in transnational contexts.