One-quarter of the 1.9 million citizens over the age of 60 in
China's capital have no spouse. A Beijing-based research center on
aging reports that 470,000 senior citizens in the city are single,
with 440,000 of them widows or widowers and 30,000 unmarried or
divorced.
The fifth national census in 2000 also found that 23.4 percent
of the city's elderly are widowed, while those unmarried or
divorced made up one percent of the gray population.
The majority of the senior singles are women: 318,000 widows,
and just 122,000 widowers.
Researchers say that marital status directly affects physical
and mental health. A spouse becomes more important than ever when
one retires and loses many social contacts.
The sudden death of a spouse often causes the remaining partner
to die sooner than might otherwise be expected. Researchers have
found the mortality rate among the newly bereft elderly is seven
times the normal rate for senior citizens.
Experts on aging say that remarriage often improves seniors'
health by helping them regain faith in life and feel less
lonely.
Many elderly people, particularly those who are healthy and
financially independent, admit they need a spouse to keep them
company. A recent sampling showed that 54 percent of the senior
citizens surveyed feel that it is quite acceptable for a widowed
person to remarry.
But researchers say many elderly will not do so, fearing
prejudice and rejection.
Du Peng and Yin Bo, two Beijing specialists on aging, found that
50 percent of the elderly are confined by the traditional belief
that one should marry only once and a second marriage would be a
betrayal of the deceased spouse. Traditional values demanded
faithfulness to one's spouse even after his or her death.
Moreover, many Chinese think it is embarrassing to remarry when
one is getting on in years. "It's a question of face," said Lu Jie,
manager of Milan Spring Wedding Photo, a studio in Beijing's
bustling Xidan shopping district. Lu said no elderly couple
planning remarriage had ever entered the studio.
Concern about criticism from the children, whether from fear of
losing face or inheritance, was another obstacle that kept 33
percent of single senior citizens from getting married again,
according to Du and Yin.
Still, experts believe that more senior citizens will choose to
remarry as they grow more attentive to the quality of their life
and depend less on their children for companionship and
support.
"Besides, the younger generation will be more considerate as
they get on in years themselves," said Du Peng.
China is rapidly becoming an aging society. It is now home to
more than 130 million elderly people, about 10 percent of the total
population, and the figure is expected to keep growing at an annual
rate of 3.2 percent in the next half century.
In an effort to improve their overall quality of life, the
government has actively promoted community service for the elderly,
including matchmaking services for the widowed and divorced.
(China Daily May 8, 2004)