Table of Content

29 November 2017, Volume 41 Issue 6

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The Measure of Biological Age of Chinese Elderly

Li Ting

2017, 41(6):  3-15. 

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Utilizing the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey,this study constructs the measure of biological age of Chinese elderly and tests its validity. In comparison to other health measures used in survey,the biological age shows several prominent advantages in the following aspects.First,the biological age,as a comprehensive measure of people’s physiological condition,can well predict individual’s mortality risk and health status in various dimensions. Second,it can reflect the diverging health status among the middle age and younger old-age people when many health problems have not been discovered. Third,compared with the subjective health measures,the biological age can eliminate the bias of reference point by different groups. Finally,the influence of chronological age on health can be eliminated from the biological age model. Based on the hierarchical linear regression model,it is found that education level is the most reliable factor that affects individual’s biological age and cohort can significantly differentiate old people’s health. In particular,individuals born during the great famine period may be confronted with a greater physiological risk.


Homogamy,Heterogamy,and Marital Barriers in Current Chinese Society

Ma Lei

2017, 41(6):  16-32. 

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Marital barrier is a key indicator to measure the difficulties of marrying among different social groups. It is not clear how high the marital barriers are in contemporary China. Using a national survey on “Social Development” carried out in 2012 2013,this article measures the marital barriers among different educational,social class,and income groups. Log-linear and ordered logistic regression models show that the greatest marital barrier from education is the traditional norm in which husband is usually older than wife. The higher the social class is,the greater the marital barriers are. Higher income is associated with greater probability of endogamy. In contemporary China,marital barriers are surprisingly high. Homogamy but not heterogamy is still the leading pattern of assortative mating. Social inequality is shaped and maintained through marital barriers.

Re-examining China's Provincial Socioeconomic Development and Fertility Change

Tao Tao,Jin Guangzhao,Yang Fan

2017, 41(6):  33-44. 

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This study explores the relationship between China??s provincial total fertility rate(TFR) calculated from census data and adjusted by scholars in 1982,1990,2000 and 2010 and the provincial human development index (HDI). China experienced rapid increase in the HDI and continuous decrease in the TFR at all provinces and shrinking regional disparities in both of them. The two variables are negatively correlated while the inhibition effect of HDI on TFR is gradually decreased. After dividing regions by different policy types,we find that the two still have negative correlation and without Showing a J-shape relation in different category of regions,although Shanghai,Beijing and Tianjin have reached the very high human development level which exceeds 0. 788 in 2010. Unlike some western developed countries,China??s fertility level does not turn to rise with the socioeconomic development. Without adjusting fertility policy,the fertility level of all the provinces would continue declining with the socioeconomic development. A timely releasing of fertility policy can effectively restrain further decline of TFR

Migration and Children's Education:Facts and Explanations

Lv Lidan,Wang Fei

2017, 41(6):  45-57. 

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 Using the 2010 population census data of Chongqing,China,the paper examines the relationship between population migration and children??s education. Particularly this paper compares three types of rural children,the left-behind children,the children with parents at home,and the children migrating to cities,regarding to their enrollment rate,completion rate of a certain level of schooling,and the chance of progressing to the next level of education. Taking advantage of a large sample and a more accurate definition of children??s type,the paper provides a better understanding of the relations between population migration and children??s education. The left-behind children have the highest rates of enrollment and progression,whereas the migrant children have the lowest rates for these two indicators and the children with parents at home have the middle rates. In regard to the completion of junior middle school,the three types of children have a reverse order. The differences of children??s education vary by children??s gender,their parental education,and the economic development of their home regions. Income,parent-child separation,and the interference of urban institution could be reasons for educational differences among the three types of children.

Human Capital, Class Status, Identity and Migrant Workers’Permanent Migration Intention

Li Fei，Zhong Zhangbao

2017, 41(6):  58-70. 

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This paper explores the specific pathway linking human capital class status and social identity to migrant workers’ permanent migration intentions using a structural equation model. While migrant workers‘ permanent migration intention is generally low, young migrant workers have higher intention than the middle-aged migrant workers. Class status and identity have direct impact on the intention, while class status also has an indirect effect through identity. Human capital has no direct effect, only indirectly influencing the permanent migration intention through class status and identity. There are intergenerational differences in the mechanism of influence. The young migrant workers?? intentions are affected by both class status and social identity, whereas the middle-aged workers are only influenced by social identity. Therefore, the current policy design of new style urbanization should pay attention to improving the quality of migrant workers‘human capital, and actively promote the social and cultural integration of migrant workers, so as to promote the upward mobility and urban identity of migrant workers, which ultimately promote the permanent migration.

Family Care Arrangements and Policy Needs of Preschool Children in China: An Analysis Based on Multiple Data Sources

Wu Fan，Wang Lin

2017, 41(6):  71-83. 

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Based on multiple survey data, the paper analyzes the situations and characteristics of family care arrangements for children aged 0~5 in China. Conducted by different organizations between 2010 2014, the multiple surveys show high childcare deficits, heavy burdens of mothers, imbalanced responsibility between motherhood and fatherhood, and a high proportion of childcare by grandparents. These problems not only directly affect the healthy growth of children, women??s employment and development, and the quality of family life, but also affect the implementation of the two-child policy. One of the key reasons of these problems is the lack of institutional support for childcare, particularly the shortage of formal care for children under age 3. “Work-family” balance has become a universal and rigid social needs. From a macro point of view, childcare is a necessary condition for population reproduction. From the perspective of family policy, it is necessary to extend the paternity leave and parental leave, to develop formal care agencies for children aged 0 ~ 3, and to promote the balance of workfamily for childcare givers.

Applications of Population Projection in the PADIS-INT: Comparative Study on MORTPAK, Spectrum and PADIS-INT

Zhai Zhenwu，Li Long，Chen Jiaju，Chen Wei

2017, 41(6):  84-97. 

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Cohort-component method, the most widely used method in population projections, involves the issues of calculation and the details of programming when applied to the population projection software, which could impact the accuracy of projection results. Taking the mainstream projection software programs into account and based on the actual population data of Sweden, this paper, conducting comparative population projection tests, examines the applications of cohort-component method in the three population projection software programs including MORTPAK, Spectrum (DemProj) and PADIS-INT. The results show that the results of single-year age group obtained by the interpolation of five-year age group of the initial population are consistent and close between the three software programs; there is little difference in survival ratios calculated on the basis of the projection results of the three software programs; in the birth population projection, the three software programs don’t show great difference either. PADIS-INT has reached the projection level that international mainstream population projection software should have. Since PADIS-INT supports richer functionality especially in the parameter setting and the presentation of projection results, it is more suitable for a detailed population projection with application properties

The Influences of “Downward” Intergenerational Support on Mental Health of the Chinese Elderly:The Moderating Effects of Cognitive Evaluation

Sun Juanjuan，Ji Yun

2017, 41(6):  98-109. 

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Based on 2014 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey,this paper explores the effects of the “giving” behavior by the elderly on their mental health by using linear regression models,and discusses the moderating effect of cognitive evaluation on the relationship of the support behavior and mental health. The results show that the financial support and housework support for adult children are positively correlated with mental health of the Chinese older parents,but those supports demonstrate negative effects on their mental health if the supports are evaluated to be demanded excessively by the elderly. For the urban elderly,the evaluation of excessive demands by the elderly significantly moderates the effects of grandchildren caring on mental health,while for the rural elderly,the moderating role is found to be prominent on the relationship between financial support and mental health. The results also support the “ABC Emotion Theory”. Therefore,in the background of active ageing and improving older person‘s role in family,it is important to alleviate the burden of grandchildren caring of the urban elderly and the burden of financial support of the rural elderly in order to maintain their mental health.