Changing attitudes

Even though two people from single-child families can legally have a second child under China's family planning policy, surveys show that the enthusiasm among urbanites for larger families is dwindling.

The reasons for this are many. However, the biggest effect is a growing level of insecurity about the future.

"When people see that traditional family values are being weakened, they start to worry," explained Sun Yiqun, a research director at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. "This is compounded by concerns among the elderly and middle-aged that there isn't a sufficient social support network."

Bupa, a British healthcare organization, recently polled 12,262 people in 12 countries on their attitudes toward ageing and found almost one-third of Chinese respondents admitted they feel depressed when they think about getting old.

This could suggest why suicide rates among the elderly in urban areas have seen such a worrying increase in recent years.

According to Jing Jun, a sociology professor at Tsinghua University, the annual suicide rate among 70- to 74-year-olds surged to more than 33 for every 100,000 people between 2002 and 2008, up from an average of 13 in the 1990s.

The number is even higher in rural areas, where economic pressures and the migration of farmers to cities have weakened the social status of senior citizens. A 2008 study of villages in Hubei province by Huazhong University of Science and Technology found suicide "is a culture" in some villages, with the elderly often taking their own lives after family arguments or when they feel they can no longer work.

"The new family structure is not only about the changes in lifestyle and values between young and old," said professor Yuan. "Smaller families mean simpler relations, making society overall more detached."

As well as having the world's largest population with 1.3 billion, China also has one of the fastest ageing rates.

The number of people aged 60 or above stood at 167 million in 2009, almost 13 percent of the population, according to the China National Committee on Ageing. With feelings of insecurity on the rise, experts say families must prepare for the future, while the need for the government to create a better social security system is growing urgent.

"We've had some good examples of private-run nursing homes but the number of places (offered for the elderly) is far from meeting demand," said Zhong Changzheng, spokesman for the China National Committee on Ageing.

Policymakers are encouraging diversified services for the elderly, he said, as well as advocating a change in attitude toward placing relatives in nursing homes, which at the moment is seen as an "undutiful act".

Authorities are also promoting community-based care services and facilities so older generations will be able to receive help in their own homes. Hotlines launched in Beijing also offer professional advice on care options.

The capital alone is home to 2.6 million people aged over 60, putting nursing homes places and assisted care apartments at a premium. This has resulted in many property developers starting on residential projects aimed at filling the needs of 4-2-1 families.

In Shanghai, where more than 20 percent of the population is classed as "elderly", workers can now postpone their pensions for five years and carry on working after the mandatory retirement age (60 for men and 50 or 55 for women, depending on their status).

The move, which was introduced by the city's human resources bureau on Oct 1, is aimed at addressing a financial shortfall in the social security fund. However, critics claim it will reduce the number of opportunities in an already tough job market.