Filial Piety and Functional Support: Understanding Intergenerational Solidarity Among Families with Migrated Children in Rural China

Using the intergenerational solidarity theory, the author examined how functional solidarity (intergenerational support regarding to elder care) impacts normative solidarity (filial piety) among families with migrated children in rural China. Data was drawn from a survey of 1,443 elders in three inland migrant-exporting provinces of China. The study revealed the following findings: (1) the elders did not evaluate children’s filial piety lower after their migration, which suggests an adjustment on the elderly parents’ part regarding the traditional expectations of filial piety. (2) Migrated son’s filial piety was indeed evaluated lower than those of daughters, which suggests a continuation of the traditional norms of patrilinealty for filial piety. (3) Elderly parents’ evaluations of migrated children’s filial piety were positively related to migrated children’s provision of financial care. (4) Elderly parents who took care of grandchildren had a positive evaluation of filial piety than those who did not. (5) An exchange-based intergenerational support mechanism did not have an impact on rural elderly parents’ evaluation of children’s filial piety. The author concludes that taking into consideration of the economic and cultural context of rural China, functional support, in the form of intergenerational support and exchange, suggest the continuation as well as changes of filial piety among rural families.