five - Solidarity, ambivalence and multigenerational co-residence in Hong Kong
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 September 2022
Summary
Introduction
In most western societies, three-generational co-residence is not the norm. However, the US Census, for instance, has noted a sharp increase of co-residence with grandparent(s) since the economic downturn in 2007. At present, one child in 10 lives with a grandparent in the US (Livingston and Parker, 2010). Living with grandparents is more prevalent in a number of Asian societies. For instance, in Thailand, 59% of older adults aged 60 and above lived with at least one child and/or grandchild in 2007 (United Nations, 2010a). The corresponding proportion is 43% in Japan (United Nations, 2010a) and 53% in Hong Kong (Census and Statistics Department, 2008). Multigenerational households are not only widely accepted in Asian societies as the most common household type for older adults, but are also regarded by many as the ideal living arrangement.
Existing studies on intergenerational relationships have largely focused on factors that influence the frequency of contact and quality of relationship between grandparents and grandchildren (Yi and Farrell, 2006); the extent and content of intergenerational transfers (Hoff, 2007); and impacts of grandparental caregiving on both grandchildren (Moyi et al, 2004) and grandparents themselves (Baker and Silverstein, 2008). In this literature, the intergenerational solidarity model proposed by Bengtson (1975) has received much attention. On the one hand, the proposed six dimensions of intergenerational solidarity have provided researchers with a framework for empirical studies (Katz et al, 2005). On the other hand, the model has given rise to many debates and further theorising on intergenerational relationships, most notably the concepts of intergenerational solidarity–conflict (Silverstein et al, 1996) and intergenerational ambivalence (Luescher and Pillemer, 1998; Connidis and McMullin, 2002). Most of these debates and findings on intergenerational solidarity, conflict and ambivalence were based on the experiences of societies in which multigenerational co-residence is unusual and on the assumption that geographic proximity is conducive to cohesion across generations. Whether these findings and arguments hold in societies where multigenerational co-residence has remained a widespread and normative practice is not fully understood.
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- Contemporary GrandparentingChanging Family Relationships in Global Contexts, pp. 91 - 112Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2012