I read an interesting article
about filial piety throughout Asia explaining that although this respect for
elders is an integral part of the culture of many Asian countries, financial realities
are causing major changes.
For example, as young people from
China's interior move to coastal areas for jobs, the elderly are being
abandoned. And, because China has had a one-child rule since 1979, an adult
child has to care for both parents alone.
China now has laws
delineating the actions adult children should take. Chinese companies are
supposed to provide vacation time so employees can visit their parents. These
laws, however, do not provide punishment for failure to obey, unlike Indian law,
which provides for the imprisonment of children who fail to care for their
parents.
Singapore law has provided parents
with legal recourse to sue their children for money and caregiving since 1999.
This thought provoking article, When Filial
Piety is a Legal Obligation, was written
by Winnie Chwang, a Senior Research Analyst with Matthews Asia, an investment
company, for the week of August 16, 2013. The full article can be seen here:
