The objective of this paper is to comprehensively describe the overall aging process in
China, identify the causes and the potential extent of the aging problem, and propose
corresponding policy choices to solve the problems in rural areas. Both sharp transitions
in the age structure and in the economic institutions will affect aging problems in China
early on in this century. In addition to the declining number of children in families and the
change in institution, other factors such as the lack of infrastructure, poverty, and labor
outflow make the aging problem in rural areas much more serious than that in urban
areas. It is impossible to rely on families alone to handle this problem. Creating
collective care centers, retaining the original social relief institution, recreating the social
insurance institution, encouraging daughter’s support for the elderly, and creating social
service systems are the rational policy-related choices available to China. Early
consideration and action to combat this problem are necessary, and a readjustment of
socioeconomic policies and institutions is quite urgent.
2
China is the most populous country in the world, and its rural population accounted for
63.9 % of the overall population, or 807.4 million people, by November 1, 2000, based
on data from the 2000 National Population Census (State Statistical Bureau 2001).
However, the size of the rural population is not just a factor because of its effect on the
total population, but mostly because it raises distinctly different institutional issues from
those facing urban areas. This means that finding solutions to problems facing rural areas
is sometimes difficult not only because of the magnitude of the population, but because
of the lack of infrastructure in rural areas as well.
Aging is one of the problems facing rural people now, and it will especially be a problem
in future. The objective of this paper is to comprehensively assess the overall aging
process in China, identify causes of aging problems in rural areas and the potential extent
of these problems, and propose corresponding policy choices for dealing with the
problems in rural areas.