Changing Attitudes toward Old-Age Support in Taiwan: 1973-1985

Taiwan appears to be in the early stages of a major transformation of its traditional old-age support arrangements. At present, a high proportion of the older population lives with a married son, but an examination of attitudes of women currently of reproductive age suggest a sharply modified arrangement for future generations of older parents. Classically, older Chinese parents expected and received a major source of support from sons and this was one of the driving forces for strong son preference. Taiwan has recently experienced a pronounced decline in fertility, which has corresponded with a substantial modification in son preference. This paper traces the implications of these changes on the expectations for support in old age. Data from three islandwide surveys are used to examine trends and differentials in son preference and indicators of expected support. We show via tabulations and regression analysis that while there are differentials in expected support by such factors as education, income,and residence, striking shifts have occurred within all groups over time. If these attitudes toward intergenerational support are translated into practice, there will be sharp changes in the future support arrangements of older parents.

Dataset(s): Taiwan Surveys of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice of Fertility (KAP): Taiwan, 1973, 1980, and 1985.