Abstract of PhD thesis on sociology: The role of the elderly in family nowadays (Case studies in Thanh Hoa province)

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The role of the elderly in family is studied in terms of marriage, production/business, care, education and ancestor worship. Particularly with the role of the elderly in decision making marriage, production/business, caring, educating descendants and their family's ancestor worship beliefs.

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VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES LE THI HOI THE ROLE OF THE ELDERLY IN FAMILY NOWADAYS (Case studies in Thanh Hoa province) The major: Sociology Code: 9.31.03.01 ABSTRACT OF PHD THESIS ON SOCIOLOGY HANOI, 2021 1
The work was completed in Graguate academy of social sciences Science instructor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Ngoc Van Reviewer 1: Prof. PhD. Le Ngoc Hung Reviewer 2 Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Thi Van Anh Reviewer 3: Prof. PhD. Trinh Duy Luan The dissertation will be defended in front of the Conference-level Judging Council of Graguate academy of social sciences. At: …… hour, …… date …… .month …… year …………… The thesis is available at: Vietnam National Library Library of Graguate academy of social sciences 2
OPENING 1. The urgency of the study The elderly part of the population structure tends to increase in number and proportion. This phenomenon leads to the population shift towards aging, which has been posing many problems for society. What happens in aging? What are the social implications of the increasing number of elderly people? Why are there theoretical debates about the role of the elderly in different societies? Similar to gender hierarchies, age hierarchies vary from culture to culture. One society may respect the elderly for their age, which is synonymous with wisdom, nevertheless another society considers the elderly as a burden, because they are considered socially dead. In Vietnam, according to reports by General Statistics Office in 2009, the whole country had about 11.313.890 old people, accounting for about 11,95% of the population. In which, there are 1.918.987 people are over 80 (accounting for 17,5% of the total the elderly); the female elderly is 5.735.300 (accounting for 50,7%), the male elderly is 5.578.590 (accounting for 49,3%); There are 7.294.100 old people living in rural areas (accounting for 64%). From the point of view of social structure, the elderly are prone to injury due to psychological and physiological characteristics as well as the diminish in income, position and the role in family and society. From the perspective of cultural family, modernization makes many changes in model of behavior values in the relationships between children and the elderly. A group of elderly people feel disappointed when they lose respect and prestige in their own home. From the above issues, we pay special attention to the elderly in modern society. What will be the position and role of the elderly in the face of the change in age structure and culture in the family? Whether theoretical debates is practically verified by researches on the role of the elderly. To contribute to answer the above questions, the PhD student choose the topic "The role of the elderly in family nowadays" (Case studies in Thanh Hoa province) as my doctoral thesis. 2. Aim and missions 2.1. Aim Identifying the role of the elderly in family nowdays (Case studies in Thanh Hoa province), thereby answering research questions and verifying the correctness of hypotheses about the role of the elderly; providing scientific 3
grounds for formulating policies to promote the role of old people in current social context. 2.2. Missions To achieve the stated research purpose, the thesis has the following tasks: - Overview of domestic and foreign research situation related to the topic. - Building theoretical foundations and research methods - Conducting field sociological experimental investigation to understand the role of the elderly in family. - Analyzing the role of old people and factors affecting their role in the family today. - Verifying the correctness of hypotheses about the role of the elderly. - Providing scientific foundations for policy development to promote the role of old people in family in the context of population aging. 3. Objectives, scope, questions and hypotheses of the study 3.1. Objectives The role of the elderly in family is studied in terms of marriage, production/business, care, education and ancestor worship. Particularly with the role of the elderly in decision making marriage, production/business, caring, educating descendants and their family's ancestor worship beliefs. 3.2. Scope of the study - Space limitations: Case studies in 03 wards/communes of Thanh Hoa province. - Time limitation: from 2016 to 2019. - Research content: The thesis only focuses on researching some of the following typical roles, in order to clarify and further analyze the role of the elderly in each aspect of family life in Thanh Hoa. Those aspects are: + Marriage life of descendants + Production/business activities + Taking care of and educating descendants + Ancestor worship beliefs 3.3. Study questions - How is the role of the elderly in the family today shown in the following aspects about marriage, production/ business activities, caring, educating descendants and ancestors worship activities of family? - What factors affect the role of the elderly in family today in Thanh Hoa province? 3.4. Study hypotheses 4
Based on the research questions, the thesis develops two hypotheses as follows: - Elderly people still continue to show a certain position and role when participating about marriage, production/business activities, care and education of children and grandchildren, and ancestor worship beliefs of family. The elderly no longer play the main decision-making role on marriage and production/business of their descendants as in traditional society, but only contribute ideas for young people to consult. Elderly people still participate in production/business activities to support themselves and other family members. In some other activities such as taking care of and educating their children and grandchildren, ancestor worship, the elderly still retain their role, which is important because their knowledge and experience is more than that of young people. - The two most significant factors affecting the role of the elderly in family are changes in socio-economic condition and traditional family values. But these two factors seem to work in opposite directions. While the process of industrialization, modernization and globalization is a factor that makes the knowledge and experience of the elderly become obsolete, the position and role of the elderly have decreased compared to youngsters, the good values of the tradition of respecting old people, being grateful to parents, honoring ancestors, etc. help the elderly continue to have a significant position and role in the relationship with their children and grandchildren. In addition, the group of individual characteristics (gender, age, education level, ethnicity) and family (living standard, region and living model) also make many differences in the correlation assessment on the role of the elderly in family in Thanh Hoa. 4. Methodology and research methods of the thesis The thesis uses the research methodology of the topic. This methodological basis allows the study to pose research questions and develop research hypotheses to test them in practice through the results of sociological investigations and surveys. The thesis mainly uses a number of sociological research methods to identify, analyze and evaluate the role of the elderly in the family today (Case studies in Thanh Hoa province), including: analytic documents methods, questionnaire method, in-depth interview method. In which, questionnaire and in-depth interview are the main methods used to measure new quantitative and qualitative information of the study. In particularly: 5
Regarding the quantitative sample: The thesis has interviewed 500 elderly representative of households by questionnaire, including both male and female elderly aged 60 and above to ensure the measurement of social events. About the qualitative sample: Group interviews about activities in family including old people and their descendants, representatives of local authorities, officials of socio-political organizations related to the elderly. A total of 35 in-depth interviews were conducted include elderly people (20 in- depth interviews); their descendants (10 in-depth interviews) and officials of socio-political organizations (5 in-depth interviews). 5. New scientific contributions of the thesis In Theory: Testing the correctness of research hypotheses and research theories on roles, modernization theories, activity theories and disengagement theories on the role of the elderly study will contribute to supplementing and perfecting these theories in the context of Vietnamese society and culture (Case studies in Thanh Hoa province). In practice: study results have analyzed and evaluated the role and factors affecting the role of the elderly in the family today. The elderly have had a decline in some main decision-making roles in family. In some other activities such as taking care of and traditional educating their children and grandchildren, ancestor worship, the elderly still retain their role, which is important because their knowledge and experience is more than that of young people. A part of the elderly tends to live independently, take care of themselves instead of depending on their descendants, but they still support and help their children and grandchildren. These findings contribute to provide a scientific basis for the development of social policies to meet the requirements of the elderly in the context of population aging, including care, nurture and role promotion. 6. Theoretical and practical significance of the thesis 6.1. Theoretical significance The study contributes to systematize theoretical and methodological issues in research on the elderly in general and the role of the elderly in family in particular. The theoretical significance of the study is also reflected in the application and verification of the correctness of sociological theories on role status, modernization theory, disengagement and active theory in identifying the role of the elderly, as well as analyzing factors affecting their role in family. 6.2. Practical significance 6
The study results provide a relatively systematic understanding of the role of the elderly in family today (Case studies in Thanh Hoa province), thereby making policy recommendations to further promote the role of the elderly in the context of socio-economic development and population aging trend in our country. The results of the thesis can be used as a reference for later sociological studies on the elderly. 7. The structure of the thesis In addition to the introduction, conclusions, references, lists of tables, figures, lists of acronyms and appendices, the main content of the thesis is presented in 4 chapters: Chapter 1: Research overview Chapter 2: Theoretical and practical basis and research methodology Chapter 3: The role of the elderly in family today through results of sociological surveys Chapter 4: Factors affecting the role of the elderly in family nowadays. Chapter 1 RESEARCH OVERVIEW 1.1. Issues of research content, theory and methods on the elderly related to the study 1.1.1. Contents related to the study The role of the elderly in the marriage life of their descendants from several sociological research perspectives: In traditional Vietnamese society, marriage and child-bearing are two important things for couples and clans, which is related to the suitable alliance and the maintenance of the lineage. Parents are the ones who decide their children’s marriage and are the main and often the only ones who choose the marriage subject [24, p.2]. The Vietnam Family Survey (2006) has confirmed that parents' complete decision-making power over their children's marriage tends to decrease, but it does not mean that marriage decisions are completely transferred to their children. Changes in the role of the elderly in family business/production activities from theory and practice: In the traditional society, the elderly are evaluated with the main decisive role in family from the conception of "respect", the position and role of the elderly in industrial society is somewhat reduced. Some viewpoints and research theories about the elderly also show that the industrialized society is 7
the cause leading to the decline of the elderly's power. Researchers believe that industrialization and modernization have contributed to the decline in power, influence and prestige of old people. According to Robert C. Atchley (1987), in the pre-industrial society, the elderly are people who accumulate a lot of life experiences, customs, and properties and play an important role in cultural transfer and preservation from generation to generation, consequently they have many privileges as well as power. The care and educating role of the elderly in traditional and modern families Presenting the evaluations of the study of retirees in Hanoi in the early 1980s (In the social security domain, 2005), author Bui The Cuong said that the elderly are always responsible for their families even though they have retired. Helping families and children: ¼ of the interviewers regularly look after their grandchildren; 12% check the learning of their grandchildren, 78% regularly undertake the housework in the family. Interviews also show that 78% of old people regularly take care of their children when they are sick or giving birth, highlighting the role of retired grandmothers [11, p. 144 -145]. From these above studies, it is shown that the position and role of the elderly have no many change in family, they still hold an important position in taking care of young grandchildren. Elderly people in family ancestor worship activities. Recent religious studies show that the spiritual life of Vietnamese is very diverse and complex, in which ancestor worship is a basic belief of Vietnamese people. In families of many generations, the elderly often take the main role in this activity. 1.1.2. Theoretical perspectives and methods related to the study Regarding research theory: The theories applied in the research on the elderly are quite diverse such as role theory, modernization theory, socialization theory, social structure theory, activities theory ....etc. However, in the studies about position, role or relationships between the elderly and their descendants in the family, the role theory is applied the most. Therefore, the addition of disengagement and activity theories when studying the role of the elderly will provide a more comprehensive view of the elderly in family today. Regarding research methods: Most of the sociological investigation studies on the elderly use methods that combine quantitative research and qualitative research. A number of information collection methods were applied such as survey method by questionnaire combining retrospective survey, in-depth interview, group discussion and document analysis. 8
Continuing to inherit the previous studies and ensure the relevance in the research, the thesis uses the survey method by questionnaires and in-depth interviews as the main basis for the summarize, analysis and comparison of study results. 1.2. Comments and new research direction of the study The overview results show that the role of the elderly is summarized by the author from many single studies in many different fields such as psychology, history, sociology... and drawn the following points: (1) Traditional values and industrialization have many influences on the position and role of the elderly in family and society. In addition, the factors of age, sex, education level and analyzed region are the causes leading to the difference in the role of the elderly in family at different times of social development. However, the ethnic factor has not been mentioned in previous studies. (2) Results of previous studies show that marriage is an important issue of each individual and is interested by many researchers in family studies. (3) Ancestor worship is a basic feature in the spiritual values of Vietnamese people from the past to the present and the elderly are considered as a link between the past and present through generations in families. However, research on the role of old people participating in ancestor worship activities as subjects is still little mentioned and blurred in sociological studies. (4) Theoretically, many theories applied in the research on the elderly such as role theory, structure-function theory, modernization theory, etc., have reflected the relevance in research and identified the elderly's role in many different aspects. These are very valuable documents. But that's just a collection of materials for reference only. Therefore, on the basis of inheriting the existing research results, the thesis continues to study the role of the elderly in family in the face of changes in the modern social context. The PhD student propose the research topic "The role of the elderly in family nowadays" (Case studies in Thanh Hoa province). Sub-conclusion of chapter 1 The research overview shows that domestic and foreign authors have confirmed that the role of the elderly is very important in traditional families. In modern society, the role of the elderly has decreased, but they are still respected by their descendants due to their prestige, experience and contributions to family. Modernization and disengagement theory researchers 9
believe that industrialization is the cause of the decline in the position, role and removing the social role of old people because their experience and knowledge become outdated. This is also an important theoretical and practical basis for the thesis can be applied and verified in Vietnam in the process of rapid and strong industrialization, modernization and industrialization. Chapter 2 THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL BASIS OF THE STUDY 2.1. Define and explain concepts 2.1.1. Older person/the elderly In this study, the concept of older people is understood as "people aged 60 and older are the elderly" according to the Law on the Elderly of Vietnam passed by the National Assembly in 2009. To serve as a basis for identifying and assessing the role of the elderly, the author divides the elderly into three age groups: from 60 - 69 years old (the young elderly), from 70 - 79 years old (the middle aged elderly) and 80 years old and older (the old elderly). The term "the elderly" is used interchangeably with the term "old people". 2.1.2. Role Social role is the expression of actions, behaviors, and patterns of behavior that society expects or requires a person to perform on the basis of their status. The Elderly, as individuals in the family and society, perform their roles based on establishing positions through family relationships, they both performed their roles and met the expectations of their families. 2.1.3. Family In this study, the family is defined as a collection of people bound together by marriage, blood relationship or nurturing relationship which generating rights and duties among them; and the elderly in the family are understood as the old parents of both husband and wife whether they live together or live separately; when considering the role of the elderly in family in two main relationships: old parents (60 years old and older) with their children and old grandparents with their grandchildren (hereinafter referred as the relationship between the elderly and their descendants). 2.1.4. The role of the elderly in family The basic roles of the elderly in family (Case studies in Thanh Hoa province) related to marriage, production/business, care, education and ancestor worship. 10
Role in marital life: elderly people participate in marriage decision making, choosing life partner, number of children, model of life after marriage, resolving conflicts and sharing marital experiences with children and grandchildren. Role in family production/ business activities: The elderly show their role in participating in production decisions regarding investment capital, buying and selling means of production, business products, expanding production scale; supporting their children generating jobs, income, providing capital and imparting business experience to their children and grandchildren. Role in children's education activities: Old people take a decisive role in educating and teaching their children and grandchildren about traditional values, love, solidarity, discipline, lifestyle, behavior and career orientation. Role in taking care of family activities: The elderly participate in looking after their grandchildren; taking their grandchildren to school; teaching and checking their grandchildren’s learning; imparting experience on taking care of children's health. Role in performing ancestor worship: The elderly have a decisive role in educating their children about the family's cultural values. 2.2. Theoretical approaches of the thesis 2.2.1. Role theory The social role of an individual is determined on the basis of the respective social status. It is the dynamic side of social status because it is always changing in different societies and different social groups. Corresponding to each position there will be a behavioral pattern expected by society. This behavioral pattern is the role that corresponds to the social status. Roles are the demands of society on social positions. These requirements are determined based on social norms and values. Thus, the same social status in different societies leads to different behavioral patterns expected by the society and different social roles [55, p.117 -118]. Therefore, the thesis applies this theory to identify the roles of the elderly when participating in family activities such as marital life of children and grandchildren, family production/ business activities, care and education activities, raising grandchildren and worshiping ancestors. 2.2.2. Modernization theory Ronald Iglehart argues that the basic content of modernization theory seems to still be valid today: industrialization leads to socio-cultural changes such as improving education levels and changing gender roles. 11
Industrialization is a central element of the modernization process and influences most other social factors. In the industrialization and modernization society, the role of family becomes less important because people's working life mainly takes place outside the family. In the past, children depended entirely on their parents and parents depended on their children in old age (young people depend on father, old people depend on children). Industrialized society can reduce the power of the elderly. The main cause of loosing their power and influence in society were the parallel forces of industrialization and modernization. As modernization accelerates, the participation of the elderly decreases, and they are increasingly affected by social exclusion [86]. Applying modernization theory in this study will help identify the role of the elderly in family in the context of modernization, simultaneously, this theory can help to prove whether industrialization and modernization are the factors leading to the decline in the role of the elderly as theoretically predicted? 2.2.3. Disengagement theory Disengagement theory is concerned with removing the elderly from the socially responsible position in the orderly activities of society. Disengagement theory was an early attempt to explain how and why society defines older people differently from younger people. The need for the elderly to be removed from society mainly applies to industrial society. Due to the rapid social change, the continuous replacement of older workers by younger ones who were trained and updated skills is as much as possible [31, p. 437]. In Vietnam, the process of industrialization and modernization takes place more slowly than in developed countries. Therefore, the concept of removing the role for the elderly in Vietnam may not be taken into account much due to the difficult living conditions of the elderly, especially in rural areas. However, the rapid and strong process of industrialization and modernization in recent years has had profound impacts on the living of citizens in general and the elderly in particular. Therefore, applying Disengagement theory allows us to answer the question of whether the elderly really remove their roles in old age and transfer them to the young? Similar to the points of this theory, does the removal of roles help old people reduce pressure in life? 2.2.4. Activity theory Activity theory encourages older people to try to play an active role in society by replacing lost activities with new ones. Entering old age, the elderly also need to be socialized to adapt to new living situations (loss of social power, reduced income, reduced power and role in family...). At this stage, 12
young people can imagine what their life will be like when they turn old by observing the lives of the elderly in family (grandparents, parents, etc.). Therefore, applying activity theory in this study aims to answer the question: Do the elderly continue to assert their roles through participating in main household chores? How is the role of the elderly in the family adapting to changes in the industrial society? 2.3. Perspectives of the Party and State policy on the elderly Group of State policies on promoting the role of the elderly in family, community and society Constitution 1946, Constitution 1992, Directive No. 59 - directive on caring the elderly; documents of the Party congress and Notice No. 12 of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party … (as mentioned). Existing policies are geared towards protecting, caring and promoting the elderly. Circular No. 16/2002/TT-BLDTBXH on 9th December, 2002 guiding the implementation of a number of clauses of the Government's Decree No. 30/2002/ND-CP on 26th March, 2002 stipulating for and guiding the implementation of some articles of the Elderly Ordinance. Elderly people, when directly organizing income-generating activities and jobs, are facilitated by the commune-level People's Committees to borrow loans with preferential interest rates according to the State's credit policy, and are exempted from tax in accordance with current law (Section 1 to 4, Part IV, Circular No. 16/2002/TT-BLDTBXH). The 2009 Law on the Elderly, Section 3, Article 23 stipulates that “The State, society and family create conditions for the elderly to promote their intelligence, talents and good qualities into activities of imparting skills, experience, cultural, social, scientific and technological knowledge and traditional craft for the young generation”. Thus, in terms of policy, the elderly are facilitated to participate in educational activities, imparting experience, skills and knowledge; in the formulation, implementation and supervision of the implementation of policies and laws; participating in local movements and campaigns. 2.4. Introduction of the study area 2.4.1. Thanh Hoa province Thanh Hoa is a big province with an area of 11,129.48 km2 (accounting for 3.36% of the whole country) and is one of the 5 largest province in Vietnam; ranked second in the North Central region after Nghe An province. The province has 27 administrative units, including 02 cities, 01 13
town and 24 districts. By April 1st, 2019, Thanh Hoa has 3,640,128 people with 1,824127 women (accounted for 50.11%); the elderly accounted for nearly 14.13% of the province's population. Economic growth tends to increase, the GRDP of Thanh Hoa province is estimated to increase 14.07% in 2018 compared to 2017. Thanh Hoa is a province with a long history of exploitation which leading to the cultural diversity. In general, Thanh Hoa is a province with rapid economic development in the country, but this process takes place unevenly among regions due to differences in economic, geographical and cultural conditions. The aging population tends to increase rapidly with many fluctuations, the elderly's life has changed a lot due to the good implementation of State policies. However, the process of new rural areas has had many changes in local culture, which partly affects the relationship between generations in the family, while the elderly in some surveyed areas attach great importance to traditional culture, so they are vulnerable. 2.5. Analytical diagram ANALYTICAL DIAGRAM Features of the family - - Living standard Marriage - - Region life of - - Life model children and grandchildre Socio-economic n background Production - -Industrialization activities of andmodernization the family - - Policies and The role of laws of the Party the elderly in and State on the family elderly - - The traditional culture of the Taking care nation Demographic of and characteristics of educating the elderly descendant - - Gender - - Age - - Education - - Ethnic 14 Religious - - Health condition activities to worship ancestors
Sub-conclusion of chapter 2 Researching on old people in family from many different approaches and perspectives on theory and practice shows that the elderly have many changes in their status and roles due to the development process. Applying the role theory, modernization theory, activity theory and disengagement theory is the basis for analyzing and testing the reality and the trend of improving the role of the elderly in family in Thanh Hoa province. The analytical diagram and variable system of the thesis are built on the basis of inheritance and combination of theoretical system and conceptual categories about the role of the elderly in family from previous studies and the research area. The research process was established from the beginning, with a pilot survey before conducting the main survey, in order to adjust the analytical diagram and questionnaire to suit reality. Qualitative research methods are carried out in parallel with quantitative research to deepen the meaning of quantitative statistics. Chapter 3 THE ROLE OF THE ELDERLY IN FAMILY IN THANH HOA PROVINCE 3.1. The aging situation and some characteristics of the elderly in Thanh Hoa province Thanh Hoa has a rapid change in the elderly number compared to the whole country. The time to enter the aging population phase is 2 years earlier than the whole country. The proportion of people aged 60 and over in Thanh Hoa has increased from 9.10% in 1999 to 14.13% in 2019. The average life expectancy of people in Thanh Hoa is high. The average life expectancy of Thanh Hoa's population has increased significantly in the period 1999 - 2019. In 1999, the average life expectancy of Thanh Hoa's residents was only 66.8 years old, in 2009 it increased to 72.5 years old and in 2019 it has reached 73.3 years old (in which the average life expectancy of men is 70.8 years and women is 76.1 years) [9]. The aging population leads to an increase in the elderly dependent ratio: In the period of 2009 - 2019, the overall dependent ratio tends to increase and up to 63.0% in 2019. The main reason is that Thanh Hoa is in the early stages of population aging, the elderly dependent ratio increased (from 15
11.5% in 2009 to 23.1% in 2019, an increase of 11.6%) which led to an increase in the overall dependent ratio of population. [9]. Elderly people live mainly in rural areas: In 2019, the elderly in rural areas are 434,921 people, 5.48 times higher than that in urban with 79,312 people; female elderly are 301,887 people (account for 8.29% of total population); male elderly are 212,346 people (account for 5.83% of the total population [9]. 3.2. The role of the elderly in marriage life of children and grandchildren in family in Thanh Hoa province 3.2.1. Elderly people in the role of marriage decision-making of their children and grandchildren Research results on the role of old people in deciding marriage of their children and grandchildren in Thanh Hoa's family, when the parents are the elderly show an amount of 40.3%. Most of the elderly's opinions are not highly rated, the consideration at normal level account for 68.5%. Elderly people living with their children have a higher participation rate than elderly people living alone (43.5% versus 29.5%), the difference is 14.0%. Changes in the concept of marriage values, personal freedom and hierarchical relationships in family are the reasons for the decline in the role of old people on marriage in family in Thanh Hoa. Elderly people are not the main decision makers about the marriage of their children and grandchildren like the traditional marriage decision model. 3.2.2. The role of the elderly in building criteria for choosing a life partner for their children and grandchildren The survey results in Thanh Hoa show that 36.9% of the elderly participated in criteria orienting for choosing a life partner for their children and grandchildren. This is the most underrated content in the roles of old people participating in the marriage life of their children and grandchildren. The elderly are less likely to participate in this role because there is a difference in the criteria for choosing a mate between old people and their descendants (hereinafter referred to as young people). This role also has a big difference between the two living models of the elderly. In the model that the elderly live with their descendants, the participation rate is 40.6% and in the separated living model the participation rate is 24.6%. The decrease in the participation role of the elderly stems from the incompatible concept about choosing a life partner between old people and young people. In fact, people set a lot of criteria to choose a life partner, individuals can take that criteria as 16
a standard to choose a wife or a husband; but it is clear that unorganized marriage is the cause of young people's freedom to choose a life partner. 3.2.3. The role of the elderly in sharing experiences and resolving conflicts in marital life for their children and grandchildren in Thanh Hoa province About sharing marital experiences: Research results on the elderly in Thanh Hoa show that the elderly have an important role in sharing their marital experiences with their children (accounts for 63.7%). This is one of the 7 highly appreciated criteria on the role of the elderly in the marital life of their children and grandchildren. The content that the elderly share with their descendants is mainly about marital behavior, how to deal with the elderly, how to divide labor in the family and the meaning of marriage. About resolving conflicts in the marriage of children and grandchildren: In addition to playing an important role in sharing marital experiences for their children and grandchildren, the elderly also take on the role of conflict mediators in marital life of their descendants, this rate accounts for 48.5. %. The elderly's opinions were highly appreciated, with 66.2% of the opinions being rated very important and important. One of the reasons that make old people are respected by their descendants is the prestige and experience of their marital life. 3.2.4. The role of the elderly in the post-marital model of children and grandchildren Research results in Thanh Hoa show that the role of the elderly in deciding the life model of their descendants after marriage is quite important, with more than ½ of the elderly participating in this issue (accounting for 55.2%). Elderly people living with their children have a great influence on this decision (accounting for 61.4%), while old people living alone only account for 34.4% of the participation rate. Young people today tend to move out after marriage to have a more free life. However, living separately after marriage is not possible for everyone, because it depends on many factors such as permission of parents, economic conditions, rights and responsibilities towards the elderly. 3.3. The role of the elderly in family production activities in Thanh Hoa 3.3.1. Concept of the elderly about family production activities Concept of the elderly about family production/business activities has changed a lot. Firstly, the elderly are almost no longer the main decision- makers of family production, but rather empower their children and 17
grandchildren. Secondly, old people still maintain the production role to generate income and support their descendants. Besides, old people also want to be respected by their children and grandchildren consulting and learning from them about production/business. 3.3.2. Participation of the elderly in deciding the production/business activities of the family Research results in the surveyed areas in Thanh Hoa illustrate that 38.4% of the elderly still participate in deciding some common production activities of their family such as production capital, purchase and sale of means of production, breeding stock and expanding production/business scale. In which, old people participating in the decision to expand the family's production scale was higher than other activities (66.3%), the remaining activities did not have a big difference. The elderly's opinions are generally respected by their children and grandchildren, but this is not the final decision in the family; only 22.0% of old people hold the main decision-making role in production/business in family in Thanh Hoa. Most of the older people's opinions are only for exchanging ideas and orienting their descendants on production/business. 3.3.3. Production/business activities that the elderly participate in Research results on the family business/production activities of the elderly in Thanh Hoa in the past 12 months show that 53.4% of the elderly still participate in family production activities. This shows that old people are still an important force of family production. The percentage of old people participating in production activities is quite high, especially in the two roles of imparting production experience and helping to generate income for their family (72.5% and 46.8%, respectively). Meanwhile, the roles of providing capital and generating income for family have a lower participation rate (34.8%).  Production/business activities to generate income for family: The role of the elderly in production/business activities to generate income for their family is highly appreciated in the chain of family production activities in Thanh Hoa, accounting for 46.8%. In which, the main work that old people participate in is agricultural production, accounting for 83.7%. Elderly people provide capital for their children and grandchildren to do business: Old people have higher support for sons than daughters, by money (95.3% compared to 4.7%) and material support (60.5% versus 39.5%). This difference stems from the traditional concept of the role of the 18
eldest son who follows the family line, worships ancestors and takes care of old parents.  Elderly people participate in imparting production experience to their descendants: In addition to supporting production, income and finance, the elderly also play an important role in imparting production/business experiences in the family. 72.5% of the elderly said that they helped their children and grandchildren by imparting experience in production/business. However, they did not exchange experiences with their descendants regularly, and the proportion is only 42.5%.  Elderly people participate in supporting family income: Stemming from the desire to help their children and grandchildren when they face difficulties in life, the elderly used their own income and accumulation to support their descendants, this rate is not high, accounting for 34.8%. The income support for descendant of old people is not regular. The main sources of income for the elderly to support their children and grandchildren are come from their agricultural production and savings (41.7% and 33.1% respectively). 3.4. The role of the elderly in caring and educating children and grandchildren in family in Thanh Hoa 3.4.1. Views of the elderly on care and education of children and grandchildren in family The elderly are inherently conservative and oppressive people, but they have changed in accordance with the change of society. In other words, in a modern family, old people no longer impose or dominate their descendants as much as a traditional family. The experience of the elderly always has inherited value in which young people know how to choose and apply in life. Respecting old people is consistent with family and social values. The similarity in views and ways of doing things is expected in the process of performing the roles between the elderly and their descendants in families today. 3.4.2. The role of the elderly in taking care of family members. Research on the role of the elderly in families in Thanh Hoa from caring activities shows that up to 60.4% of the elderly take on the role of looking after the family to support their children and grandchildren, including jobs such as taking care of grandchildren (for eating, sleeping) and doing the housework, taking grandchildren to school and imparting health care experiences to their children. In general, the role of old people in household chores has not decreased much compared to the past, most of the elderly still 19
participate quite a lot in housework, especially taking care of grandchildren, domestic chores (53% and 58.0% ). In this role, the elderly have won a lot of trust and confidence from their descendants. 3.4.3. The role of the elderly in educating children and grandchildren in family in Thanh Hoa 3.4.3.1. The role of the elderly in deciding their children and grandchildren’s education in family The role of the elderly in participating in important decisions about their children's education in families in Thanh Hoa is not high. Only in deciding to choose a career/field of study, the elderly participated higher in (accounting for 41.4%). Firstly, because a part of the elderly realizes that their knowledge is no longer suitable in making important educational decisions for their children, especially educational knowledge. Secondly, in modern society, school education is more important than family education. 3.4.3.2. Elderly people with the role of educating traditional moral values for children and grandchildren in family In contrast to the educational decision-making role, the role of the elderly in traditional education for children is highly appreciated in the family. The survey results show that the elderly participating in behavior education for younger generations in family receive special attention with the highest rate (96.9%). Opinions of old people in education is also highly appreciated and valued by young people (accounting for 86.2%). It is important to follow the elderly and uphold traditional family values. Each family is a unique culture, it can exist from generation to generation or disappear if there is no reminder of the previous generations and the participation of the next generations. 3.4.3.3. About cultural education Compared to other roles, this is the role that has the lowest participation rate of the elderly from the series of content about educating children and grandchildren in the family (accounting for 43.1%), the level of participation is not regular; only 24.4% of old people said that they regularly provide cultural education for their grandchildren. It should be added that, in this activity, the elderly participate with the purpose of reminding their grandchildren to learn lessons, not just teaching them knowledge, if any, only for children at primary school level. In the family, educating knowledge for children is mainly done by parents. 3.5. The role of the elderly in family ancestor worship activities 20