1st only-child generation challenged by elder care  

中國第一代獨生子女家庭面臨盡孝考驗

7月11日是世界人口日。北京大學人口所教授穆光宗當天在北京舉行紀念活動上“保守估計”稱，中國的獨生子女家庭有1.5億。目前，這類家庭子女證面臨著如何“善事父母”的難題。

Beijing (CNS) -- A conservative estimate of China's first generation of only children puts the demographic at 150 million, and the other thing they have in common is how challenging it will be to take good care of their elderly parents, Prof. Mu Guangzong from the PKU Institute of Population Research said on Wednesday.

Official calculations indicate that since 2011, more than half of Chinese families are "empty nesters" consisting only of elders; the rate reaches 70 percent in some big and mid-sized cities. The number of parents whose grown up children have flown the coop has climbed to 40 million.

More than 78.8 percent of the parents in Shanghai's single child families have retired as well, and 43.4 percent of their children can't spare any time from work to amuse or care for them, a recent official family planning survey showed.

Parents of the first only-child generation usually live lonely lives, concludes Mu, and that means those who would reform the domestic elder care system feel some urgency about this great task.