Feinian Chen on CBS This Morning: Childcare in China
Faculty Associate Feinian Chen was interviewed by CBS This Morning to comment about the World of Mothers episode on how childcare is truly a family affair in China. Today, multi-generational living represents a cultural idea in China since several generations live under one roof. Additionally, grandparents are in charge of taking care of their grandchildren so that parents can succeed in their professional fields. Dr. Chen comments; "It's not just about individual choices but it's about what you do to maximize the well-being of the whole family.”
China has one of the highest rates of women in the workforce in the world. Thus, Chen says; “Grandparents providing care for the grandchildren very much creates that opportunity for other members of the family, mostly the mothers, to engage in other opportunities." In the U.S., approximately 14% of grandparents provide care to their grandchildren. Dr. Chen argues that this practice is more common among certain communities, “The black grandmothers, the Hispanic grandparents, the Asian-American grandparents often times play a much more prominent role,” she said.