Hostname: page-component-cb9f654ff-5jtmz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-08-29T16:16:36.423Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Impact of intergenerational educational mobility on the health of older parents: evidence from rural China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 July 2025

Yicen Jiang Open the ORCID record for Yicen Jiang [Opens in a new window] ,
Zhuoying Yan Open the ORCID record for Zhuoying Yan [Opens in a new window]  and
Qin Zhu Open the ORCID record for Qin Zhu [Opens in a new window]
Yicen Jiang
Affiliation:
School of Social Development and Public Policy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China Fudan Institute on Aging, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Zhuoying Yan*
Affiliation:
School of Social Development and Public Policy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Qin Zhu
Affiliation:
School of Social Development and Public Policy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China Fudan Institute on Aging, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
*
Corresponding author: Zhuoying Yan; Email: drawing1012@163.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Offspring’s education can serve as a valuable channel of resource transfer and social mobility for older parents, especially those with lower socio-economic status owing to its potential impact on health. However, there is a notable gap in research exploring the health consequences of intergenerational educational mobility, particularly across different ages and genders. This study considers the market and family spheres, and proposes a dual-axis model of resource allocation. Utilizing data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey from 2014 to 2020, it investigates the impact of intergenerational educational mobility on the health of rural older Chinese parents and the underlying mechanisms by which the different impacts work. It reveals that intergenerational educational mobility affects the health of older parents through the dual axes of market and family-based economic resource transmission. Senior parents suffer more negative effects from downward mobility than younger contemporaries, and older mothers benefit more from upward mobility than fathers. Upward educational mobility could improve the health of older parents through increased offspring income, whereas significant intergenerational financial support has only a substantial impact on older health when the educational mobility distance is greater. This underscores the importance of considering intergenerational educational mobility in understanding health outcomes and provides new insights into the relationships between mechanism variables. It suggests that policy makers should focus on improving the educational environment, supporting parental investment in education and expanding educational opportunities for younger generations, to enhance the health and wellbeing of older generations by fostering positive intergenerational dynamics and resource allocation.

Keywords

healthintergenerational educational mobilityrural China

Information

Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , First View , pp. 1 - 27
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Footnotes

Yicen Jiang and Zhuoying Yan are equally contributed to this work.

References

Bengtson, VL and Kuypers, J (1985) The family support cycle: Psychosocial issues in the aging family. In Munnichs, JMA, Mussen, P, Olbrich, E and Coleman, PG (eds.), Life-Span and Change in a Gerontological Perspective. London: Academic Press, pp. 257–273. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-510260-5.50020-7CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cai, F, Giles, J, O’Keefe, P and Wang, D (2012) The Elderly and Old Age Support in Rural China. Geneva: World Bank Publications.10.1596/978-0-8213-8685-9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Case, A, Lubotsky, D and Paxson, C (2002) Economic status and health in childhood: The origins of the gradient. American Economic Review 92, 1308–1334. doi:10.1257/000282802762024520CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chen, A, Zheng, Y and Xu, J (2019) Can education promote intergenerational social mobility? Empirical evidence based on the China General Social Survey (CGSS). Education and Economy 6, 27–34. doi:10.3969/j.issn.1003-4870.2019.06.004Google Scholar
Chen, F and Liu, G (2012) The health implications of grandparents caring for grandchildren in China. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 67, 99–112. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbr132CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chen, F, Yang, Y and Liu, G (2010) Social change and socioeconomic disparities in health over the life course in China: A cohort analysis. American Sociological Review 75, 126–150. doi:10.1177/0003122409359165CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, L and Yuan, Z (2012) Is it better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish? Wealth capital, social capital, human capital, and intergenerational income mobility in China. Fudan Journal (Social Sciences Edition) 4, . doi:10.3969/j.issn.0257-0289.2012.04.012Google Scholar
Couch, KA, Daly, MC and Wolf, DA (1999) Time? Money? Both? The allocation of resources to older parents. Demography 36, 219–232. doi:10.2307/2648110CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cui, Y and Jin, XY (2016) The impact of intergenerational family relationships on the psychological well-being of migrant parents in rural areas. China Rural Economy 6, 15–29. doi:10.20077/j.cnki.11-1262/f.2016.06.002Google Scholar
De Neve, JW and Fink, G (2018) Children’s education and parental old age survival: Quasi-experimental evidence on the intergenerational effects of human capital investment. Journal of Health Economics 58, 76–89. doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.01.008CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dong, SP (2019) Village status competition, urbanization strategies, and the normalization of ‘neijuan’ among youth. Contemporary Youth Studies 4, . doi:10.3969/j.issn.1006-1789.2019.04.003Google Scholar
Du, P, Sun, J, Zhang, W and Wang, X (2016) The pension needs and resources of the elderly in China: An analysis based on the 2014 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey. Population Research 40, 49–61.Google Scholar
Fiori, KL and Denckla, CA (2012) Social support and mental health in middle-aged men and women: A multidimensional approach. Journal of Aging and Health 24, 407–438. doi:10.1177/0898264311425087CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fraile, M and Pardos-Prado, S (2014) Correspondence between the objective and subjective economies: The role of personal economic circumstances. Political Studies 62, 895–912. doi:10.1111/1467-9248.12055CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Friedman, EM and Mare, RD (2014) The schooling of offspring and the survival of parents. Demography 51, 1271–1293. doi:10.1007/s13524-014-0303-zCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fyrand, L (2010) Reciprocity: A predictor of mental health and continuity in elderly people’s relationships? A review. Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research 1, 340161. doi:10.1155/2010/340161Google Scholar
Graham, E and Sabater, A (2016) Intergenerational exchanges, children’s education and parents’ longevity in Europe. ERSC Centre for Population Change Working Paper 77. Southampton: ERSC Centre for Population Change. Available at https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/394875/ (accessed 30 June 2025).Google Scholar
Grossman, M (2006) Education and nonmarket outcomes. In Hanushek, E and Welch, F (eds.), Handbook of the Economics of Education. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 577–633. doi:10.1016/S1574-0692(06)01010-5Google Scholar
Grundy, E (2005) Reciprocity in relationships: Socio‐economic and health influences on intergenerational exchanges between third age parents and their adult children in Great Britain. British Journal of Sociology 56, 233–255. doi:10.1111/j.1468-4446.2005.00057.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guo, Z and Chen, G (1998) Analysis of intergenerational economic flows between the elderly and their children. Population Research 1, 35–39.Google Scholar
Henretta, JC, Hill, MS, Li, W, Soldo, BJ and Wolf, DA (1997) Selection of children to provide care: The effect of earlier parental transfers. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 52, 110–119. doi:10.1093/geronb/52B.Special_Issue.110CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huang, Q, Hu, Y and Chen, G (2017) The impact of intergenerational support on the health of the elderly: A perspective based on social exchange theory. Population and Development 23, 43–54. doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-1668.2017.01.005Google Scholar
Jacobson, L (2000) The family as producer of health – an extended Grossman model. Journal of Health Economics 19, 611–637. doi:10.1016/S0167-6296(99)00041-7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, C, Glei, DA, Goldman, N and Weinstein, M (2017) Children’s education and parents’ trajectories of depressive symptoms. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 58, 86–101. doi:10.1177/0022146517690200CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lei, X, Strauss, J, Tian, M and Zhao, Y (2015) Living arrangements of the elderly in China: Evidence from the CHARLS national baseline. China Economic Journal 8, 191–214. doi:10.1080/17538963.2015.1102473CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, J and Xia, C (2014) The impact of socioeconomic status on health: Convergence or divergence? Based on CFPS2012 survey data. Population and Economics 5, 42–50. doi:10.3969/j.issn.1000-4149.2014.05.005Google Scholar
Li, MZ (2018) The impact of intergenerational economic support on labor force participation of elderly people in rural areas: An empirical study based on CHARLS 2013. Survey World 4, 26–31. doi:10.13778/j.cnki.11-3705/c.2018.04.005Google Scholar
Li, S, Song, L and Feldman, MW (2009) Intergenerational support and subjective health of older people in rural China: A gender-based longitudinal study. Australasian Journal on Ageing 28, 81–86. doi:10.1111/j.1741-6612.2009.00364.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liang, J, Krause, NM and Bennett, JM (2001) Social exchange and well-being: Is giving better than receiving? Psychology and Aging 16, 511. doi:10.1037//0882-7974.16.3.511CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Liu, B, Hu, ZY and Gong, ZM (2021) Inequality of opportunity in health among rural residents: Health indicators, model construction, and an empirical study based on CHARLS. Science Decision-Making, (4).Google Scholar
Liu, W and Wen, Y (2024) The impact of social support and intergenerational support on the health of the elderly. Productivity Research 1, 44–50. doi:10.19374/j.cnki.14-1145/f.2024.01.022Google Scholar
Lowenstein, A and Daatland, SO (2006) Filial norms and family support in a comparative cross-national context: Evidence from the OASIS study. Ageing & Society 26, 203–223. doi:10.1017/S0144686X05004502CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lundborg, P and Majlesi, K (2018) Intergenerational transmission of human capital: Is it a one-way street? Journal of Health Economics 57, 206–220. doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2017.12.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lv, GM and Liu, WH (2020) The heterogeneous effects of children’s education on the health of elderly parents in China. China Population Science 4, .Google Scholar
Ma, M, Yahirun, J, Saenz, J and Sheehan, C (2021) Offspring educational attainment and older parents’ cognition in Mexico. Demography 58, 75–109. doi:10.1215/00703370-8931725CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGarry, KM and Schoeni, RF (1995) Transfer behavior within the family: Results from the Asset and Health Dynamics Survey. Journals of Gerontology: Series B 52, 82–92.Google Scholar
Merton, RK (1968) The Matthew effect in science: The reward and communication systems of science are considered. Science 159, 56–63. doi:10.1126/science.159.3810.56CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Bureau of Statistics of China (2021) *Communiqué of the Seventh National Population Census (No. 1)*. Beijing: National Bureau of Statistics of China. Available at www.gov.cn/guoqing/2021-05/13/content_5606149.htm (accessed 17 April 2024).Google Scholar
Oreopoulos, P (2003) The long-run consequences of living in a poor neighborhood. Quarterly Journal of Economics 118, 1533–1575. doi:10.1162/003355303322552865CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phelan, JC, Link, BG and Tehranifar, P (2010) Social conditions as fundamental causes of health inequalities: Theory, evidence, and policy implications. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 51, S28–S40. doi:10.1177/0022146510383498CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pillemer, K, Suitor, JJ, Mock, SE, Sabir, M, Pardo, TB and Sechrist, J (2007) Capturing the complexity of intergenerational relations: Exploring ambivalence within later‐life families. Journal of Social Issues 63, 775–791. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.2007.00536.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qin, Y (2022) Adult children’s intergenerational mobility and older adults’ self-rated health: A U.S.–China comparison. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 77, 1154–1163. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbac034CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramos, M and Wilmoth, J (2003) Social relationships and depressive symptoms among older adults in southern Brazil. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 58, S253–S261. doi:10.1093/geronb/58.4.S253CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shanas, E (1971) The sociology of aging and the aged. Sociological Quarterly 12, 159–176. doi:10.1111/j.1533-8525.1971.tb01348.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sobel, ME (1981) Diagonal mobility models: A substantively motivated class of designs for the analysis of mobility effects. American Sociological Review 46, 893–906. doi:10.2307/2095086CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sun, R (2002) Old age support in contemporary urban China from both parents’ and children’s perspectives. Research on Aging 24, 337–359. doi:10.1177/0164027502243003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Torssander, J (2013) From child to parent? The significance of children’s education for their parents’ longevity. Demography 50, 637–659. doi:10.1007/s13524-012-0155-3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Torssander, J (2014) Adult children’s socioeconomic positions and their parents’ mortality: A comparison of education, occupational class, and income. Social Science and Medicine 122, 148–156. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.10.043CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tur-Sinai, A and Lewin-Epstein, N (2020) Transitions in giving and receiving intergenerational financial support in middle and old age. Social Indicators Research 150, 765–791. doi:10.1007/s11205-020-02354-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
United Nations (2024) World population prospects 2024: Summary of results. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.Google Scholar
Walsh, F (1996) The concept of family resilience: Crisis and challenge. Family Process 35, 261–281. doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.1996.00261.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Xu, JX and Peng, WB (2024) The impact of ‘downward’ intergenerational support on the physical and mental health of middle-aged and elderly people: An empirical study based on CHARLS data. Journal of Home Economics 1–15. doi:10.20181/j.jzxk.jlau.240042Google Scholar
Yahirun, JJ, Sheehan, CM and Mossakowski, KN (2020) Depression in later life: The role of adult children’s college education for older parents’ mental health in the United States. Journals of Gerontology: Series B 75, 389–402. doi:10.1093/geronb/gby135CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yang, S and He, C (2004) Ethics of responsibility and family support for the elderly among urban residents: A case study based on the ‘Beijing Survey on the Needs of the Elderly’. Peking University Journal of Philosophy and Social Sciences 1, 71–84. CNKI:SUN:BDZK.0.2004-01-009.Google Scholar
Yuan, XB and Du, P (2023) ‘Raising children for old-age support’ or ‘passing on the family line’? A study on the roles elderly people expect from their children and its influencing factors. Population and Development 29, 100–110.Google Scholar
Zhan, HJ and Montgomery, RJ (2003) Gender and elder care in China: The influence of filial piety and structural constraints. Gender and Society 17, 209–229. doi:10.1177/0891243202250734CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, D and Li, L (2021) Trends in the changing disparity of family background in access to higher education since the resumption of the college entrance examination: An empirical analysis based on CGSS data. Heilongjiang Higher Education Research 39, 12–21. doi:10.19903/j.cnki.cn23-1074/g.2021.02.003Google Scholar
Zhuo, N, Ye, C and Ji, C (2023) Human capital matters: Intergenerational occupational mobility in rural China. Applied Economics 55, 1–19. doi:10.1080/00036846.2021.1927964CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zimmer, Z, Martin, LG, Ofstedal, MB and Chuang, YL (2007) Education of adult children and mortality of their elderly parents in Taiwan. Demography 44, 289–305. doi:10.1353/DEM.2007.0020CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed