Caregivers' reflections on care within the family in China : "A thematic analysis of care conceptualization, learning about care and teaching care"

Abstract

The past few decades have witnessed drastic changes in family structures and the provision of care within the family in China. The present study investigated how familial caregivers (N = 42) of children conceptualized care, learned about care and taught care within the family in urban China. Family care work in this study includes household labor and childcare. Thematic analysis across the 9 focus groups revealed three main themes, including one about care definition as "Care is about feeling good", one based on care receiving experiences as "Learning about care is a lonely process", and one based on their caregiving experiences as "Teaching care is about getting involved". This study's findings indicated the importance of emotion in Chinese caregivers' conceptualization of care and the intergenerational change in the way of familial care provision and parenting. The empirical findings enrich the western literature on care and provide evidence of the importance of society in supporting caregivers in the practice of care within the family.