As I see it | What the emergence of ‘full-time children’ tells us about modern China
- There is a growing trend for young adults who cannot find a job returning to live with their parents – often doing chores in exchange for an allowance
- Such an arrangement is supposed to be temporary, but high youth unemployment coupled with an ageing population is a recipe for trouble in future
The notion of “full-time children” or “paid children” – a reference to young adults who do not have a full-time job and live with their parents – has triggered heated debate in China in recent months.
They provide services such as housework in exchange for financial support from their parents and in some cases may carry on with their studies or try to find a job.
Many of the discussions and media reports about the phenomenon focus on the struggles these young people face and why they have made such an unconventional choice, especially those with good educations.
Some full-time children said they are tired of the competitive working environment, long working hours and high living costs in the big cities. But for many the reason is more obvious: they cannot find a job even if they want one and so they return home to live with their parents.
Since people in their twenties and thirties are mostly only children, their parents are often delighted to spend time with them. Some parents also give them living allowances, sometimes amounting to thousands of yuan a month.
A typical day includes cooking, shopping for their parents, taking them to see a doctor if they are unwell and planning weekend trips.
