Family Care of People with Intellectual Disability in Rural China: A Magnified Responsibility 

 

 Lu Pan and Jingzhong Ye
（Corresponding author: Jingzhong Ye, email: yejz@cau.edu.cn)
Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, Vol.28, No.4, 2015

 

Abstract: Background Welfare for the disabled is becoming an important issue in China and care for people with intellectual disability is challenging because of the inadequacies in formal support and the social service system. Material and MethodBased on ethnographic research in two villages in North China, this paper analyses the dilemmas of family care for people with intellectual disability. The essential data is the ethnographic record of three cases. ResultsRural families strive to provide care through a set of arrangements and bear tremendous stress in the process. ConclusionFamily care for people with intellectual disability in rural China has been increasingly challenged by the forces of labour migration, demographic changes and the ever-growing processes of commoditization. The role of the state has to be strengthened in welfare provision to balance the weakened family care ethos in transforming societies.
Keywords: family care, intellectual disability, rural China, social transition, social welfare

 

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To link to this article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jar.12167/full