Filial responsibility and caring for the aging

Abstract

Do ordinary working-age South Africans want to bear the primary cost of looking after their aging parents and relatives? Few studies have investigated public support for filial responsibility in South Africa, and little is known about individual preferences for maintaining strong ties between adult children and their aging parents. This chapter will seek to answer this question by investigating levels of filial responsibility in South Africa by exploring the public's attitudes towards caring for aging family members. The chapter will focus on two primary domains: (i) public support for filial responsibility and (ii) existing family social networks amongst the elderly. In a final section, the main findings of the chapter will be reflected upon and areas for future research discussed. Plausible possible policies to assist the state in enhancing the wellbeing of the elderly will also be discussed.