Support Exchanges between Aging Parents and Adult Children in Thailand: SituationTrend and Gender-Age Differences

Abstract

Nowadays, two of the most discussed topics in aging society are aging support and the role of the elderly in families. This study focuses on investigating the
situation and trend of support exchanges between aging parents and their adult children. The purpose of this study is to examine the changes in how adult children
support the elderly at present and in the past as well as support for gender-age differences. The work applies data from the Survey of Older Persons in Thailand in 1994, 2002, and 2011. The result shows that Thai elderly receive the same financial and material support from adult children as in the past; females and older elderly receive more support than males and younger elderly. However, daily activity support has decreased dramatically. On the flip side, the elderly still have potential for financial support of their children; this trend increases over time; males and younger elderly give more financial support to their children.