Trends and Transitions in Child-Coresidence among Older Adults Living in the Beijing Municipality

Zachary Zimmer, Population Council
Xianghua Fang, Beijing Municipal Network for Health & Care of the Elderly
Zhe Tang, Beijing Municipal Network for Health & Care of the Elderly
Julia Kwong, University of Manitoba

This paper examines first, whether rates of coresidence between older adults and their children in China have been declining, and second, the determinants of coresidence and coresidence transitions. Reduction in family size expected for China, and concurrent social and economic change, are causing alarm since it may lead to losses in traditional sources of support. Associations with family size, and other determinants that fit within categories of availability, need, and propensity, are tested. Data come from a longitudinal study conducted in the Beijing municipality, including urban Beijing and rural surroundings. Results suggest very moderate declines in coresidence from 1992 to 1997. Family size modestly associates with coresidence, but other determinants are stronger. The use of time-varying covariates in multi-wave transition modeling shows that changes in some need characteristics, for instance, functional health, lead to changes in coresidence. Implications for old-age support within an aging China are discussed.