In China, many parents decided to come to the aid of their unemployed children
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Recently, the hashtags #FullTimeDaughter and #FullTimeSon (Full Time Daughter or Son – ed.) have gained popularity on Chinese social media. Millions of adult users post videos of themselves spending time with their elderly parents. Of course, the Chinese have long been distinguished by respect and reverence for their elders, but it turned out that the new trend is much more complex and dramatic.
The coronavirus pandemic, which has locked millions of Chinese within four walls longer than anyone else in the world, has severely undermined small and medium-sized businesses. The youth unemployment rate has increased in the country. In June, this figure reached a record 21.3% among young people aged 16-24. By the way, similar figures are recorded in Italy and Sweden, and in Spain and Greece they are even higher.
In China, many parents have decided to come to the aid of their unemployed children. Now they hire their own daughters and sons to do the housework and help.
Jia Zhang, a young resident of the eastern province of Zhejiang, owned a modest business. But at the end of the pandemic, income fell, it turned out to be unprofitable to continue investing in its development, and Zhang found himself without a livelihood. His parents came to the rescue by hiring his daughter to work. The salary is decent – 8000 yuan, which is equal to the average salary in China (about 1115 dollars or about 100 thousand rubles).
– My duty is to spend time with my parents. For example, taking them to grocery stores and doing housework,” Zhang told NBC News. – If my business had developed more successfully, I probably would not have gone to work as a daughter full-time. So this is a necessary measure, but for today it is a working option. Ever since I became a full-fledged working daughter, everyone, including my parents, has become much happier than before. I cherish every moment I spend with them.
The conditions agreed upon by parents and children are individual. Seniors and juniors can live separately without interfering with each other.
“I love to cook and cook lunch and dinner Monday through Friday for my family. My parents give me money without interfering in my life. I am extremely happy every day ”, a 37-year-old user shared her impressions in a group where employed sons and daughters met.
Of course, no less rare are families in which parents assume full support for their son or daughter during college, graduate school, or while looking for a new job.
However, such support from adults can result in diminished confidence among young people, experts say. Although the Chinese press, on the contrary, tries to justify such employment of young people and even calls this step the respect of children for their parents.
“Compared to years ago, young people who are now unemployed and staying at home to study for exams have less confidence that they will succeed in exam preparation and job search,” said Lee Kuan Yew, associate professor from the National University of Singapore.
Mao Xuixin, chief economist at the UK’s National Institute for Economic and Social Research, stressed that it will be very difficult for children working in their own families to get out of the “family business” and back into society. It is no coincidence that in recent years Chinese youth have begun to look for short-term jobs and jobs with more modest requirements.
However, many in China do not support this trend, calling the decision of young people to work for their own parents lazy and extorting money from their elders. At the same time, Chinese parents have their own position on this.
– We know that for our daughter this is just a stage. Now it is very difficult for graduates of colleges and universities to pass exams and get a job. So we wanted to give her support when she needs it most,” explained Victor Gong, who pays for her daughter Chichi, a 24-year-old student. -Chichi is our only daughter, and we are glad that she is here, even if it is not for long.
