Chinese Only Children refers to children born between 1979 and 2025, when China had the one-child policy and limited families to only having one child. Under the transition of family caregiving, putting caregiving responsibility on younger family members, with fewer children available, the caregiving responsibility falls on only children only, especially for those who live abroad and distant from their parents. Under the background of globalization and urban transformation, with lots of Chinese only children moving abroad or far away from home, transnational caregiving practices were carried out by the Chinese Only Children generation. This project aims to develop a conceptual model of how Chinese only children and their families make caregiving decisions across national borders, offering valuable insights into the unique challenges and considerations faced by this one-child generation in a globalized world.
Supported by the GMS Summer Grant, during the summer of 2024 I traveled to China and conducted fieldwork in Chengdu, visiting senior living and long-term care facilities where I saw community senior living facilities with attached community hospitals allow older adults to access medical services and routine care efficiently while maintaining spaces for social activity and independent living. This model offers a valuable option for older adults whose children live overseas, providing trusted and sustainable long-term care. I also attended a seminar with Chinese scholars to discuss how industrialization and globalization have disrupted traditional multigenerational caregiving structures.
Building on these insights, I and my PhD advisor, Professor Julian Chow, collaborated with Professor Qi Chen from Hunter College School of Social Work, launched an online screening survey, and began qualitative interviews with Chinese only children who are currently or were previously providing care to parents in China. The GMS Summer Grant was used to provide gift cards as compensation for interview participation. These interviews—conducted via Zoom or phone—uncover diverse caregiving and factors that impact decision-making, like how distance, mobility, policy environment, medical systems in the US and China, and cultural expectations shape caregiving decisions. The suggestions for future solutions of transnational caregiving include developing community-based support, high-quality and affordable local facilities, and echoingthe innovative facility visits in Chengdu. Combining field trips and qualitative data collection, this project shed light on our understanding of transnational family care and informed more inclusive aging and migration policies across borders.