Q: What are the characteristics of Chinese family relations? What changes have happened?

A: Chinese family relationships have gone from traditional to modern. Seen from the big picture, it has gone through five transitions. First, the relationship has shifted from vertical blood relations to horizontal husband and wife relationships. Second, it has shifted from patriarchal domination to husband-wife and parent-child equity. Family members enjoy equal rights, regardless of gender, age and family hierarchy. Third, it has moved from patriarchal autocracy to family democratic decision making. The wife has an equal say and decision-making rights in family affairs. Fourth, the individual family has replaced the extended family, with significantly enhanced family privacy, independence and power stability. Fifth, the main meaning of family life has gone from carrying on the family line to realizing a happy family and family member goals. The five shifts mark the establishment of a new family relationship featuring democracy and equality.

Q: What are the changes and problems in China’s family functions?

A: With economic development, social progress, population and family changes, China’s family functions have experienced multiple changes since reform and opening-up. First, family financial functions have shrunk. Second, diversified family types and simplified family structure have differentiated family functions, some of which were closed for obsoleteness or weakened or even disappeared for incomplete family structure or incapacity. Third, more and more family needs have to be satisfied through external supply, because family functions can’t meet the ever increasing family demand. Therefore, the family function externalization is in evidence. Fourth, the focus of family functions has shifted to emotion, consumption, care, security and entertainment under the background of industrialization, urbanization, low fertility and population aging.

Q: What influences have family planning policy brought on the development of the Chinese family?

A: The number of family planning households have rapidly increased since China popularized the family planning policy in the 1970s. At the moment, family planning households are the majority. China has already built a welfare policy system for family planning households covering awards, privileges, guarantee and support to strengthen family function in supporting the elderly, improve family welfare, and enhance the development of family planning households. The influence of the family planning policy is shown in the following aspects. First, it reduces the family burden in raising children. The policy postpones a woman’s first marriage and childbearing age, terminates childbearing ahead of time, reduces birth number, greatly shortens reproductive cycle, and reduces a family’s financial burden of raising children. Second, it improves the development of women and children. Mortality of pregnant and lying-in woman as well as infants has fallen significantly. Third, it boosts the healthy development of children. Implementation of the family planning policy helps parents devote more attention and resources to bringing up their children, which is conducive to the healthy growth of children.

Q: What influence and challenge has population aging brought on the Chinese family?

A: The number of Chinese families with elderly members has increased significantly with the accelerating process of population aging. The fifth and sixth national census data showed that the number of families with members older than 65 increased 28.7 percent during 2000-2010. Population aging has changed elderly living arrangements and models as well as elderly care. It has also brought the following challenges to household-based elderly care. First, the dropping family size adds to a family’s burden of elderly care and support. Second, the spiritual consolation needs of the elderly can’t be satisfied in time. Third, special families, including the elderly who live alone or are left behind, suffer bigger problems in elderly care.

Q: What international experiences can be used to boost family development?

A: Countries worldwide have paid more attention to family development since the 1980s. Developed countries have given more consideration to family support when formulating public policy to strengthen family functions, so families can better adapt to social environment changes.

Family policy in these countries has seen two major changes in value orientation. First, family self-protection has received support from society and the government. Various governments are exploring new welfare policy arrangements to deal with changes in family function, and families are gradually becoming a major focus of social policy. Second, family policy has gone from support to development oriented. Welfare policy has extended from the poor to ordinary residents, with content shifting from mere financial aid to non-monetary benefits, which reflect that social welfare in many countries has gone from satisfying basic survival needs to constructing family functions to raise family ability. These experiences in exploration are worth our reference.

Q: What is the NHFPC’s plan in family development?

A: The NHFPC will continue to deepen reform, forge ahead, and pay more attention to a family’s basic status and development needs. It will take care of the following work. First, the NHFPC will comprehensively carry out activities focusing on civility, health, eugenics, prosperity and devotion to build happy a family, promote health and seek common development. Second, the NHFPC will carry out projects revolving around family health care, scientific parenting, elderly care and family culture to offer family training and service and improve family member’s health and family development ability. Third, the commission will continue to step up assistance to poor families, especially those that follow the family planning policy. Fourth, the commission will continue to improve policy, service and evaluation systems to boost family development. Fifth, the commission will launch a Chinese family development tracking survey and build a national family information dynamic monitoring network. Sixth, the NHFPC will issue the Chinese Family Development Report every year.