Lihong Shi

LIHONG SHI, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, received a grant in April 2019 to aid research on “The Right to Elder Care: Social Citizenship after China’s One-Child Policy.” Fieldwork with Chinese parents who lost their only child born under the previous one-child policy reveals that bereaved parents desired an old age with sufficient financial support for health care, good-quality care for either aging in place or living at elder care facilities, and emotional support. Bereaved parents claimed that the Chinese authorities should be responsible to provide them with their desired elder care support after they had fulfilled their obligation to abide by the one-child birth limit. While the central and local Chinese authorities have enforced policies for bereaved parents, including a monthly stipend, hospital care insurance, and subsidies for services at elder care facilities, bereaved parents have continued to negotiate with the authorities for a desired security in old age through various strategies.