Cohort dynamics in relation to gender attitudes in China

Abstract

China has undergone extensive changes since its transition from the socialist era to the reform era in 1978. It is said there was a revival of traditional gender ideologies in the reform era. Nonetheless, individuals’ socioeconomic status improved greatly, and according to cohort replacement theory and interest- and exposure-based theories, this should imply progress in gender attitudes. Drawing on nationwide repeated cross-sectional data from the 2010–2015 Chinese General Social Survey ( N = 44,900), this study explores changes in gender attitudes in relation to cohort in China. Sex-stratified hierarchical age–period–cohort cross-classified random-effects models are used to (a) explore cohort differences in attitude for four gender norm dimensions (ability and work dimensions in the public sphere and division of labor and marriage dimensions in the private sphere), and across three cohort groups, that is, the “war baby” (born 1926–1948), the “pre-reform baby” (born 1949–1977), and the “reform baby” (born 1978–1995) groups, and (b) examine how cohort differences in relation to each attitude have been modified by socioeconomic status and demographic characteristics, and how men’s and women’s gender attitudes are influenced in different ways by these factors. The results reveal the uneven pace of development toward egalitarian gender ideologies in China, with respondents being more supportive of egalitarianism in the public sphere than in the private sphere. Although the movement toward greater gender egalitarianism in the public sphere started from the pre-reform baby cohort, the movement in the private sphere began to emerge only in the reform baby cohort. Additionally, the sex gap in gender attitudes widened and peaked in the reform baby cohort. Women’s attitudes were influenced to a greater extent by socioeconomic and demographic factors than men’s.

Chinese older adults’ prior-to-death disability profiles and their correlates

“…The difference can be explained by sex roles: the older adults in the present study (the youngest were born in 1953) were born before the reform and opening up of China in 1978. According to the study by Luo [46], this cohort is relatively less egalitarian in terms of gender attitudes such as "men should be career oriented while women family oriented" than those born after 1978. When older women are expected to be and are actually playing the role of major family caregiver, their perceived social support and instrumental social support are lower than those of men [47], and the limited care they receive could lead to more severe disability or hastened progression to disability during their last days.…”