Family Reinstitutionalization in the Early 21st Century China: Bilateralism, Intergenerational Caregiving, and Filial Piety

Questioning the assumptions of the emerging nuclear family and family decline, Bengtson underscores the increasing significance of multigenerational ties, taking into account "longer years of shared lives". Following the framework of mosaic familialism, this paper examines family changes in modern Chinese society, particularly focusing on women's intergenerational caregiving collaborations, rise of bilateral family lineages, changing intergenerational dynamics, and modern day reinterpretations of filial piety. This paper situates these comprehensive changes within the broader contexts of China's post-reform marketization and modernization: discussing key dynamics such as new trends in childcare provision, intensive mothering, "996" work culture and its effect on fatherhood, and the resurgence of patriarchal traditions. It argues that the care deficit and the feminization of care have catalyzed the reinstitutionalization of contemporary Chinese families. While the vertical axis of intergenerational dynamics along bilateral family ties is bolstered by enduring filial piety, the horizontal axis of family formation becomes less appealing to young women. The paper further connects these trends to broader family and demographic changes and compressed, mosaic modernity observed across East Asia.