Abstract
Adult offspring is the main source of support for their older parents. With the aging population increasing worldwide, how married adults allocate their limited resources to their parents and parents-in-law is becoming a major challenge. Based on the U.S. literature, married women tend to provide more support to their own parents than to their parents-in-law. Men follow their wives and help parents-in-law more than their own parents. In contrast, in the Taiwanese traditional culture, married women should allocate resources to parents-in-law rather than to their own parents; married men are not responsible for helping parents-in-law. However, little is known about whether married adults in Taiwan actually follow the traditional support allocation. This study examined married adult offspring’s allocation of financial and practical support based on the 2011 Taiwan Social Change Survey. Married adults with at least one parent and parent-in-law living were included (n = 535; 48% women; mean age = 47.25). Multilevel models indicated that women allocated more frequent practical support for parents-in-law than for their parents, and gave the same level of financial support to both parents and parents-in-law. Men gave both practical and financial support more frequently to their parents than to parents-in-law. In general, these findings fitted the Taiwanese traditional expectation of support allocation, especially for men. Although women still fulfill their obligation to help parents-in-law, they may be more inclined to help their own parents due to their increased participation in the labor force. Implications on policy and gender roles in Taiwan are also discussed.