Family First?

Chinese society has changed so much that a new law makes adult children visit parents

China has added a new wrinkle to the social fabric. It will be interesting to see how it irons out. The Chinese national legislature last week amended its laws on the elderly to require adult children to visit their aging parents often. If they don’t, their parents can sue them.

In typical legislative fashion, the law does not set out how often children must visit. Frequency remains undefined. Mom and dad will make the rules once again apparently.

The law aims to curb increasing cases of elder neglect and abuse. Examples of outrageous behavior toward elderly parents include a man who forced his mother to live in a pig pen on his property in an affluent neighborhood and numerous examples of children seeking control of their parents’ assets without parental knowledge.

Time was when children cared for aging and infirm parents in their homes, younger generations venerating the aged.

But many societal changes have affected the time-honored Chinese family structure. China’s birth control mandate has left fewer children to share the responsibility of caring for aging parents. China lacks affordable nursing and retirement homes in sufficient numbers to meet its aging populace. Market reforms over the past 30 years mean fewer people are staying at home to care for those unable to care for themselves. People are living longer than ever before, even in socialist countries with socialized health care.

Trying to legislate human behavior usually does not work out all that well. We do not expect family life and relationships will be enhanced by laws and lawsuits. Relationships cannot be mandated.

It will be interesting to watch how family dynamics play out in China.