1. Children, Marriage Form, and Family Support for the Elderly in Rural China: Evidence from Songzi Marcus W. Feldman Li Shuzhuo Jin Xiaoyi August, 2004

2. BACKGROUND Aging, old-age security, family support for the elderly Patrilineal family system and old-age support in rural China – Marriage form: Virilocal marriage VS uxorilocal marriage – Gender: Sons VS daughters Low fertility and rural couples without a son

3. OBJECTIVES Effects of children’s gender and marriage form on their provision of old-age support for parents – Differences in old-age support for parents provided by children of different gender and different marriage forms – Differences in old-age support for each set of parents provided by couples in virilocal and uxorilocal marriages – Differences in duration of coresidence with parents after marriage between couples in virilocal and uxorilocal marriages

4. DATA Songzi: a relatively well-developed county in Hubei province – Low fertility and zero growth population – High proportion of no-son couples – Diversified marriage form – Weak son preference

5. The survey of "Marriage and old-age support" – 1,745 couples in 1,459 households – Continuation of the survey "Cultural transmission of son preference” in Sanyuan and Lueyang (Shaanxi) – New section concerning intergenerational exchange between each couple and both sets of their non-coresiding parents in 2000, as well as timing of marriage and family division for each couple – For intergenerational exchange, children who are under 60 years old and whose parents are 60 and above years old (1,152 children) – For duration of coresidence, those couples at least one of whose parents that have ever resided with them is still alive (1,120 couples)

6. METHODS Dependent Variables – Intergenerational exchange: mutual help between children and their non-coresiding parents in 2000 – Likelihood and amount of financial help (both in cash and in kind) – Housework help, measured in frequencies – Agricultural fieldwork help, measured in extent Measures – Gross measure, likelihood and amount of gross help to parents – Net measure, likelihood and amount of net help to parents Duration of coresidence with parents – Probability of coresiding with parents by duration of marriage

7. Independent Variables – Sons in virilocal marriage – Sons in uxorilocal marriage – Daughters in virilocal marriage – Daughters in uxorilocal marriage – Couples in virilocal marriage – Couples in uxorilocal marriage

8. Control Variables – Children’s individual characteristics Age, Education, Number of brothers and sisters, Household economy, Number of offspring – Parents’ individual characteristics Marital status, Age, Location of residence, Other coresiding children, Main source of income, Ability to do housework and agricultural field work, Giving help to children. Methods – Survival, Logistic and OLS models

9. Source: Survey of marriage and old-age support in Songzi, 2000

18. CONCLUSIONS Strong intergenerational exchange – Primarily economic – Housework and agricultural supplementary – Characterized by reciprocity between parents and children – Children in Songzi provide substantial old-age support for parents

19. Different modes of intergenerational exchange may be substitutable – Exchange between parents and sons in uxorilocal marriages and daughters in virilocal marriages mainly financial – Exchange between parents and sons in virilocal marriage and daughters in uxorilocal marriage mainly of housework and agricultural fieldwork

20. Old-age support – Daughter’s old-age support to their parents is not worse, but may be better, than that of sons – Support to parents for couples in uxorilocal marriage is not weaker, but may be stronger, than that of couples in virilocal marriage

21. LIMITATIONS Dimensions of old-age support are rather narrow Measurement of old-age support is quite basic Validity of the conclusions observed in Songzi for most rural areas?

22. IMPLICATIONS Policy for females