Subjective experiences of older adults in poverty in urban China and the role of social policy

Abstract

This study establishes an evidence base regarding the experiences of older adults living in poverty in Beijing. Given the factors that shape the lives of low-income older adults, the findings are relevant for many middle and low-income countries. Based on a series of in-depth interviews conducted with government officials and low-income older adults in Beijing, the study finds that poverty manifests as cumulative stress arising from four sources: financial strain, poor health, care burden, and poverty-related shame. This stress is attributable to the coexistence of individual and structural factors that reflect the framing of anti-poverty policies in China.

On the origins of welfare stigma: Comparing two social assistance schemes in rural China

“…Space precluded detailed consideration of the humiliating treatment meted out to recipients as a source of stigma. However, this has been well documented elsewhere (Chen et al, 2017;Li and Walker, 2017). The study similarly affirms, as predicted by Van Oorschot (1991), the importance of both culture and policy context in shaping stigma.…”

“…Space precluded detailed consideration of the humiliating treatment meted out to recipients as a source of stigma. However, this has been well documented elsewhere (Chen et al, 2017; Li and Walker, 2017).…”

Poverty, Shame and Ethics in Contemporary China

“…Likewise, resentment is understandable given widespread corruption and the commonly held belief that economic success and the receipt of government benefits are often products of corruption (Tong, 2011). Both resentment and othering have been reported in recent qualitative studies of dibao recipients and, in urban areas, a discourse reminiscent of the aformentoned deserving/undeserving debate in some Western countries (Chen et al, 2017;Wen & Ngok, 2018).…”

“…Blamed in this way, accused of low suzhi, it is unsurprising that people in poverty feel ashamed. Chen et al have identified poverty-related shame as one of four stressors in the lives of low-income elders in Beijing (alongside lack of resources, ill-health and challenge of caring for others) (Chen et al, 2017). Leaving aside material deficits, they often believed themselves to be socially and morally inferior and to be despised by others leading them to avoid social contact and to lower their expectations in life.…”

Vulnerable Older Adults’ Identification, Geographic Distribution, and Policy Implications in China

“…Among them, older adults, such as left behind women [13] and childless individuals [14], have to suffer higher vulnerability. Most of the research focus on conceptual definition and situation analysis of some special older groups in a certain area, such as left behind women in rural China [13] or urban older adults in poverty [15], trying to put forward reasonable proposals through sufficient qualitative description. The urban and rural older adults are distinguished by hukou, namely the household registration type, which induces the differences in social security, welfare system, and medical resources between urban and rural residents.…”