Penniless pensioners

• Source: Global Times
• [02:00 September 03 2010]
• Comments

Three sick senior citizens relax in a village in Songyang county, Zhejiang Province. Many elderly parents have to survive on their own when their children move to larger cities to find work. Some cannot live in government-run homes if they have children. Photo: CFP

By Peng Pu and Zhao Ran

In traditional Chinese society, elders command respect from their children who are expected to care for them and provide financial support during their golden years.

This has been true for thousands of years and even today it remains a core value in the country. But times are changing and with more young people living and working far from home, elders are relying more on a government pension which is a drop in the bucket.

An official from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security told China Economic Weekly that corporate retirees can get about 1,200 yuan ($176) in pension each month. However, people in rural areas may receive as little as 55 yuan ($8) a month, or 660 yuan ($97) a year.

Some elders are so desperate to get out of this situation that they try to end their suffering by committing suicide.

For example, just a few days ago, a 75-year-old man surnamed Jiang in Raocheng, Jiangxi Province walked to the middle of a road and laid down. He wanted to end his life under the wheels of a car, Shangrao Daily reported.

Jiang was rescued and he later explained that after his 2,800 yuan ($412) was stolen, he felt life would be too difficult since he has no children and the old age allowance is just not enough.

"I don't want to live," Jiang said.

Although police removed Jiang before he was hit, the sad episode raised concerns about the plight of the elderly.

China National Radio reported earlier this year that 100,000 senior citizens take their own life each year. The report cited data from the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Fei Lipeng of the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center told. huanqiu.com that the suicide rate among the elderly in rural areas is five times higher than that in urban areas.

Old and alone

The report, citing figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said half of all elderly people in urban areas are living alone.

The report also said that more than half of those older than 70 and who live in rural areas in Shaanxi, Shanxi and Gansu provinces have to depend on themselves, since their children are working in big cities.

"The reasons for elderly suicide are complicated. Many old people's children leave to go far away for work. The old people feel lonely and emotionally depressed," Su Hainan, vice-chairman of the China Association for Labor Studies, told the Global Times. "The social welfare system is not as refined as that of other developed countries."

By the end of 2009, there were 167 million people who were 60 or older. The number represents 12.5 percent of the country's population. Among them, 9.4 million struggle to take care of themselves and they need special care. And 60 percent of them reside in rural areas.

The situation has led some people to break the law to make a living. For example, 3,000 workers in Jinan, Shandong Province forged documents in order to receive their pension five years earlier. The amount involved reached 573 million yuan ($84 million).

"Such conduct is not only encroaching on limited pension funds and violates the criminal law, but it also pushes more old needy people into a disadvantaged position," a director surnamed Bi at the local human resources and social security bureau told the Global Times.

Bi added that pension funds are limited, and if it is stolen, there might not be enough money left for those who deserve it.

To improve the pension fund mechanism, the government introduced a new rural endowment insurance policy last September.

The insurance consists of three parts - personal contribution which are deducted from workers' wages, allowances given by the village community and a government subsidy, which is at least 55 yuan a month. The policy was implemented as a trial in 320 rural counties in China.

"The new rural endowment insurance policy is a key element in the national social security system, and is a significant step toward maintaining stability in rural areas and narrowing the gap between the urban and rural residents," Su said.