Títol tesi: Family Life Courses and Later-life Wellbeing in China.

Directors: Sergi Vidal; Jeroen Spijker

Tutor: Jeroen Spijker

Abstract

China’s rapidly aging population poses significant challenges for the wellbeing of older adults, as the country navigates growing demographic pressures while still undergoing economic development. In 2024, 208 million Chinese residents were aged 65 and older, accounting for 25% of the global older population. At the same time, although declining fertility rates and shifting family structures have weakened traditional caregiving systems, many older adults are still reliant on family support.

This doctoral thesis provides insights into the wellbeing of older populations in China by examining how family dynamics shape later-life outcomes. A key contribution is the application of a life course perspective—widely used in Western research—to capture the cumulative and evolving nature of family influences over time. Additionally, the thesis addresses structural inequalities by analyzing how gender and social-spatial disparities intersect with family processes to shape wellbeing in older ages.

Three empirical essays study the ways in which family structures, transitions, and relationships affect health, social integration, and financial security in later life, drawing on data from two longitudinal surveys. The first essay explores the associations between work-family trajectories (from ages 16 to 50) and health outcomes of older adults (aged 51 to 80), using holistic life course concepts and methods to capture the interplay between work and family trajectories and their joint effects on wellbeing. The second essay studies the role of grandchild caregiving for social integration among grandparents aged 50–80, assessing how different caregiving arrangements (in terms of care hours and coresidence) influence participation in social activities. The third essay examines the economic wellbeing of older adults (aged 65+) following widowhood, analyzing shifts in the likelihood of maintaining adequate household income before and after spousal loss, with particular attention to how coresidence with adult children moderates these effects.

Findings from these essays provide a comprehensive picture of how later-life wellbeing is shaped by family dynamics over the life course. These reveal significant disparities in later-life health across diverse family trajectories, underscoring the long-term health advantages of traditional family roles and the long-term disadvantages of non-normative trajectories (e.g. childlessness and non-marital parenthood). Additional findings highlight the critical role of intergenerational relations in supporting older adults’ wellbeing. Results show that grandchild caregiving can enhance social participation, while co-residence with adult children helps maintain financial stability after widowhood. However, structural inequalities moderate these associations. Women and rural populations face greater vulnerability and experience persistent disadvantages, even when following normative family pathways, reflecting deeper societal inequalities that shape ageing experiences.

Tribunal:

President: Prof. Dr. Karsten Hank – University of Cologne

Secretària: Dra. Elisenda Renteria Pérez- Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics

Vocal: Prof. Dr. Marco Albertini (on line) – Università di Bologna

Suplent 1: Prof. Dr. Christian Deindl – TU Dortmund University

Suplent 2: Prof. Dra. Maria José González – Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)