Resumen

BOTTON BEJA, Flora. On Family Relations and Support Networks in Contemporary China. Estud. Asia Áfr. [online]. 2016, vol.51, n.3, pp.511-530. ISSN 2448-654X.

Changes in relations within the family and family support networks reflect broader changes in society and vice versa. In China, the traditional conception of family underwent a radical transformation after the communists came to power in 1949. The Marriage Laws of 1950 and 1980 transferred patriarchal prerogatives to the State and by the late nineteen eighties changes to the traditional family came to reflect various economic and legal reforms. In 1987 the author carried out a study on attitudes towards marriage and the family in six Chinese cities that documented the effects of these policies. Even larger changes in Chinese society affecting families occurred in the following decade allowing for more gender equality, greater freedom to choose a partner thus permitting Chinese couples to feel less urgency with respect to having children. These new realities, along with economic transformations and the opening up of the political system, led to the Revised Marriage Law of 2000: an attempt to limit the declining influence of traditional Chinese family values. Although research on the family in China has been constrained by political circumstances, as China opens its doors to the world opportunities for study have improved. Based on recent studies and surveys, this paper examines family relationships and support networks in China starting in the mid nineteen nineties, highlighting the perceived structural transformation of family life and the permanence of strong family ties. At present, support networks hinge upon the guanxi system: exchange relations (usually) among equals. Even today, guanxi relationships are important in everyday life, facilitating the exchange of services and the resolution of problems in self-employment, migration, urbanization, housing and health. Despite the rapid pace of change in China, the family is still the main source of emotional and economic support for individuals.

Palabras llave : China; sociedad; familia; redes de apoyo; guanxi.