CCTV9英语新闻：我国家庭平均规模为3.35人

Chinese families are getting smaller and Chinese fathers aren't doing enough when it comes to child-care. Those are some of the conclusions of the latest Chinese Family Development Report. The report is compiled each year by the national health and family planning commission. This year, it surveyed more than 180,000 people across China. Let's get the details from my colleague Wu Haojun.

 

Q1: China has seen tremendous economic development in the past decades, but it's impacted on demographics and social attitudes. Tell us about the report and what it says about where we stand right now.

 

Yes，families are increasingly downsizing. And the concept of what constitutes a family unit is becoming more diverse.Having four generations living under one roof is becoming less and less common. Things are becoming more western, with "nuclear families" - 2 adults with 1 or 2 children - making up nearly 2 thirds of all family groups. The average size of a Chinese family is currently just over 3 people. Now, there are three other interesting demographics here that are also on the rise. The first -- unmarried young workers who live alone. Then there are couples who've decided to delay or forego having a child. And finally, elderly people living alone and away from their children. Let's look at that last group -- the so called "empty-nesters'. There are now more than 100 million elderly people living away from their children. That's actually half of China's elderly population. 10 percent live entirely alone -- no children and no spouse. It's a problem, as these people often need some level of care and looking after. It's especially acute in rural areas where millions of young people have left towns and villages.

 

Q2: The welfare of children has also been highlighted in the report, tell us more about that.

 

Yes indeed. Chinese dads have come in for a bit of criticism. The report says Chinese fathers simply aren't shouldering their share of responsibilities when it comes to child-rearing. The primary caregiver in a Chinese household is still the mother, followed by the grandparents. The father comes last. In only a meager 7.5% of families in China are children receiving regular attention from both parents. When it comes to education, dads are just chipping in a tad more at 11.7%. But the really stunning figure is that close to a quarter of young children in China only see their father less than once a week. It's even worse in rural China where many so-called "left behind children" are growing up without both parents -- a whopping 35.1% of all children in rural areas live apart from one or both parents. Some are lucky to see their parents just once a year, when they return from working in the big cities. Experts and educators alike have voiced concern over the long-term social implications of these issues, including developmental problems that can arise from growing up without one or both parents.