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Babysitting duties are stressing China’s grandparents
Having three generations under one roof is no longer the solution to childcare.
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These days, most Chinese families rely on grandparents to look after young children.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
The Economist
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Traditionally, doting Chinese grannies look after their grandchildren free. So when a grandmother in the south-western province of Sichuan sued her daughter and son-in-law for unpaid childcare fees, it caused a stir on social media. The grandmother, who is surnamed Duan, had looked after her grandson for five years while his parents worked in another city. She wanted compensation. In September, a local judge found in her favour. The boy’s parents were ordered to pay her 82,500 yuan (S$15,700).
Ms Duan is not the only Chinese grandparent to think they are getting a rough deal. In state media, reports of similar lawsuits have become more common in recent years. They suggest China’s grandparents are growing sick of being treated as free childminders. In 2021, a grandfather in another part of Sichuan was given 100,000 yuan in childcare fees, with the judge scolding the child’s mother and father for kenlao, or “gnawing on the elderly”. The term is used to describe taking advantage of one’s parents.
