May 15, 2005 marks the 11th International Family Day. Since the 1980s, the number of families worldwide has risen sharply, the size of family has become smaller, and people's concept of family has changed, this situation has brought tremendous impact on society and has aroused widespread concerns from the international community. Chinese families have advanced gradually from tradition to modernity in recent years.

The small size, simple structure and diversified patterns of family have become the main features of modern Chinese families.

Experts point out that a traditional Chinese family generally consists of at least two generations of people including husband and wife and children and there universally exists the phenomenon of three generations, four generations and even five generations living under the same roof, a big family is often held in great esteem.

However, along with social progress and epochal change, the size and structure of traditional Chinese families have undergone changes. Small size, simple structure and diversified patterns of families have become the main features of modern Chinese families. Since the introduction of the reform and opening-up policy, to adapt to changes in the mode of social production and the style of life, traditional families of complicated structure and big size have been gradually transformed into families of simple structure and small size. Mr. Guo, a resident living in Beili, Tianshuiyuan, Chaoyang Distict, said, "When I was young, I had a family of 12 members, including my parents, my grandpaents, as well as eight brothers and sisters. I was the youngest in my family. Now I have a family of three with only one child.".

Zhang Wenjuan, a postdoctor with Old-Aged Health and Family Research Center under Peking University, said, "Since the late 1980s, the size of Chinese family has always assumed a downward tendency, with nuclear families consisting of parents and children taking a fairly large proportion. Single-person families, one-generation families and throwback-generation families have witnessed sharp increase since the beginning of the new century. In comparison, the proportion of nuclear families has decreased notably. Statistics show that one-generation families in 1990 took up 13.52 percent of the nation's total, nuclear families 67.27 percent and two-generation families 67.5 percent; in 2000, the figures were 22.28 percent, 55.86 percent and 56.83 percent respectively."

The free flow of labors and the change in marriage and family concepts constitute the main reasons for the change in family patterns.

Experts hold that under the condition of China's market economy, industrialized production and modern life, the rapid development of the non-agricultural sector and migrant farmer workers in cities in particular, require the free flow of labor. The big family pattern with several generations living under the same roof and burden caused by the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled hinders the economic development and personal progress. Therefore, small families of simple structure and easy flow of labor have become the objective of people's pursuit. Zhang Wenyuan added, "An important reason for the change in family structure and size is the flow of young and middle-aged people between urban and rural areas, between cities and between different areas of the city."

Alteration in marriage and family concept constitutes another reason behind the change in Chinese family size, pattern and style. With the advancement of urbanization and modernization in China, in their pursuit of greater personal value and more enjoyment of life, more and more people, with the exception of the passive unmarried people, have chosen to remain single or prefer late marriage, which has resulted in the decline in the fertility rate. Additionally, the increase in cohabitation has also posed a challenge to the traditional Chinese family patterns.

More attention needed from society to the "empty nest family" and to families with aged widowers, widows, orphans and childless, giving the aged more material aid and spiritual comfort

Small and simply structured families have led to increase in "empty nest family" (family of old couple without children by their side) and families of the aged widowers and widows, the orphans and the childless. Meanwhile, due to increased living pressure and change of lifestyles, the younger groups have different understandings about the ways of supporting their parents, but most of them prefer paying visits or giving money to show their filial respect for their parents. Consequently, psychological discomfort, such as loneliness, depression and anxiety comes upon them from time to time. In rural areas, the old-aged, once become widowers or widows or incapacitated, will face the crisis of poverty and he loss of viability.

As experts point out, family plays an important role in giving people tranquility, consolidating social and cultural relations and ensuring the healthy growth of the younger generation. In view of this, showing concerns for each family, particularly "empty nest family", and family of the widower, the widow, the orphan and the childless, giving old people more material aid and spiritual comfort and promoting the physical and mental health of the old people are indispensable factors for building a harmonious society.

In China, the government has always paid high attention to the aging problem. The State Council printed and distributed the The Outline of the 10th-Five Year Plan for Development of the Work Related to China's Aging Problem (2001-2005) in August 2001, and the "Starlight Project", which was put into effect by the Ministry of Civil Affairs in 2002, has been smoothly implemented in more than 600 small and medium-sized cities across the country. It is reported that Jiangsu, Shandong, Anhui, Shaanxi provinces and some other places have instituted the system of signing the "Protocol on Supporting Families" among families having disputes over family support, with a contracting ratio reaching 85 percent.

By People's Daily Online