Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Familial Exchange and Intergenerational Contact in East Asian Societies

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Family, Work and Wellbeing in Asia

Part of the book series: Quality of Life in Asia ((QLAS,volume 9))

Abstract

This paper has two goals. The first one is to propose a typology of familial exchange between adult children and their parents. The second is to examine whether such exchanges influence frequency of contact with parents in four East Asian societies. By specifying the reciprocation of finance and household chores, we suggest four types of familial exchange: balanced (indicating regular exchange), credited, indebted and self-reliant (indicating infrequent exchange). Drawing data from the East Asian Social Survey, we conduct regression analysis of a subsample who did not live with parents, and provide strong evidence for the effects of spatial distance and intergenerational exchange. Neither family structure nor parental demands exert substantial influence.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    For further information about survey topics and data distribution, see the official website of EASS at http://www.eassda.org.

  2. 2.

    The usage of the sampling frame is responsible for the lower response rate in the Taiwan Social Change Survey. The survey team obtained a sampling frame from a local administrative district which was selected in the last stage of the sampling. However, in the Taiwanese system, the registration of a household at a certain address is mainly for taxation purpose; it does not require this household to live at that residence. Many ‘blanks’ therefore somewhat reduced the response rates in the TSCS. Additionally, urban residences included a significant number of households living in guarded tall buildings which involved greater difficulty in obtaining consent to interviews from sampled respondents.

References

  • Agree, E. M., Biddlecom, A. E., & Valente, T. W. (2005). Intergenerational transfers of resources between older persons and extended kin in Taiwan and the Philippines. Population Studies, 59(2), 181–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bian, F., Logan, J. R., & Bian, Y. (1998). Intergenerational relations in urban China: Proximity, contact and help to parents. Demography, 35, 115–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Birditt, K. S., Fingerman, K. L., Lefkowitz, E. S., & Dush, C. M. K. (2008). Parents perceived as peers: Filial maturity in adulthood. Journal of Adult Development, 15, 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bucx, F., Wel, F. V., Knijn, T., & Hagendoorn, L. (2008). Intergenerational contact and the life course status of young adult children. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70, 144–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, Y-h, & Yu, Z.-R. (2014). Continuity and change of family structure: A comparison of living arrangement of the elderly in two cross-strait societies. Sociological Studies, 2014(3), 167–188. (in Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, M. S., & Mills, J. (2004). Interpersonal attraction in exchange and communal relationships. In H. T. Reis & C. E. Rusbult (Eds.), Close relationships (pp. 245–256). New York: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeWit, D. J., Wister, A. V., & Burch, T. K. (1988). Physical distance and social contact between elders and their adult children. Research on Aging, 10, 56–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, J. N. (1969). Familial behavior as social exchange. Journal of Marriage and Family, 31, 518–526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eggebeen, D. J., & Davey, A. (1998). Do safety nets work? The role of anticipated help in times of need. Journal of Marriage and Family, 60, 746–761.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekeh, P. P. (1974). Social exchange theory: The two traditions. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emerson, R. (1962). Power-dependence relations. American Sociological Review, 27, 31–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emerson, R. M. (1981). Social exchange theory. In M. Rosenberg & R. H. Turner (Eds.), Social psychology: Sociological perspectives (pp. 30–65). New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Felmlee, H., & Hargens, L. L. (1988). Estimation and hypothesis testing for seemingly unrelated regression: A sociological application. Social Science Research, 17, 384–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fingerman, K. L., Hay, E. L., & Birditt, K. S. (2004). The best of ties, the worst of ties: Close, problematic, and ambivalent relationships across the lifespan. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 792–808.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frankel, B. G., & Dewlt, D. J. (1989). Geographic distance and intergenerational contact: An empirical examination of the relationship. Journal of Aging Studies, 3(2), 139–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gouldner, A. W. (1960). The norm of reciprocity: A preliminary statement. American Sociological Review, 25(2), 161–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Homans, G. C. (1962). The human group. New York: Harcourt, Brace.

    Google Scholar 

  • Homans, G. C. (1974). Social behavior: Its elementary forms. New York: Harcourt Brace.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsu, F. L. K. (1971). Filial piety in Japan and China: Borrowing, variation and significance. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 2, 67–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ikel, C. (2004). Filial piety: Practice and discourse in contemporary East Asia. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, J.-P., & Yi, C.-C. (2011). Filial norms and intergenerational support to aging parents in China and Taiwan. International Journal of Social Welfare, 20, S109–S120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, J.-P., & Yi, C.-C. (2013). A comparative analysis of intergenerational relations in East Asia. International Sociology, 28, 297–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, J.-P. (2012). International relations and a typology of intergenerational interaction between adult children and parents: Trends in Taiwanese families. In C.-C. Yi & Y.-H. Chang (Eds.), Social change in Taiwan, 1985–2005: Family and marriage (pp. 75–124). Taipei: Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, J. R., & Spitze, G. D. (1996). Family ties: Enduring relations between parents and their grown children. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, J. R., Bian, F., & Bian, Y. (1998). Tradition and change in the urban Chinese family: The case of living arrangement. Social Forces, 76(3), 851–882.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mangen, D. J. (1988). Measuring intergenerational family relations. In D. J. Mangen, V. L. Bengtson, & P. H. Landry Jr. (Eds.), Measurement of intergenerational relations (pp. 31–53). Newbury Park: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mauss, M. (1967). The gift: Forms and functions of exchange in archaic societies. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • McChesney, K. Y., & Bengtson, V. (1988). Solidarity, integration, and cohesion in family: Concepts, and theories. In D. J. Mangen, V. L. Bengtson, & P. H. Landry Jr. (Eds.), Measurement of intergenerational relations (pp. 15–30). Newbury Park: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molm, L. D., & Cook, K. S. (1995). Social exchange and exchange networks. In K. S. Cook, G. A. Fine, & J. S. House (Eds.), Sociological perspective on social psychology (pp. 209–235). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molm, L. D. (2003). Theoretical comparisons of forms of exchange. Sociological Theory, 21, 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Molm, L. D., Collett, J. L., & Schaefer, D. R. (2007). Building solidarity through generalized exchange: A theory of reciprocity. American Journal of Sociology, 113, 205–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nydegger, C. (1991). The development of paternal and filial maturity. In K. Pillemer & K. McCartney (Eds.), Parent-child relations through life (pp. 93–112). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverstein, M., Bengtson, V. L., & Lawton, L. (1997). Intergenerational solidarity and the structure of adult child-parent relationships in American families. American Journal of Sociology, 103, 429–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silverstein, M., Conroy, S., Wang, H., Giarrusso, R., & Bengtson, V. L. (2002). Reciprocity in parent-child relations over the adult life course. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 57, 3–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. W., Kim, J., Koch, A., & Park, A. (2006). Social-science research and the general social surveys. Comparative Sociology, 5, 33–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai, M.-C., & Dzorgbo, D.-B. S. (2012). Familial reciprocity and subjective well-being in Ghana. Journal of Marriage and Family, 74, 215–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uehara, E. (1990). Dual exchange theory, social network, and informal social support. American Journal of Sociology, 96, 521–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeh, K. H., Yi, C. C., Tsao, W. C., & Wan, P. S. (2013). Filial piety in contemporary Chinese societies: A comparative study of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. International Sociology, 28, 277–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zellner, A. (1962). An efficient method of estimating seemingly unrelated regressions and tests for aggregation bias. Journal of American Statistical Association, 57, 348–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

    Ming-Chang Tsai

  2. Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

    Wen-Shan Yang

Authors
  1. Ming-Chang Tsai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wen-Shan Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ming-Chang Tsai .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Asia-Pacific Area Studies, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

    Ming-Chang Tsai

  2. Department of Sociology, National Taipei University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Wan-chi Chen

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Tsai, MC., Yang, WS. (2017). Familial Exchange and Intergenerational Contact in East Asian Societies. In: Tsai, MC., Chen, Wc. (eds) Family, Work and Wellbeing in Asia. Quality of Life in Asia, vol 9. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4313-0_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4313-0_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-4312-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-4313-0

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation