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International Journal of
Population Studies A suggestion for future research

In light of the above, I argue that it is important to day and age of competitive childhood industries rooted in
unsettle the harmonious façade of a migrant-in-the- education and tuition practices for modern (middle-class)
family model of family care because the reliance on FDWs parenthood (Göransson et al., 2022; Katz, 2018; Teo, 2023).
must be understood as part of a capitalist state strategy In intergenerational circumstances of family care, which
to minimize healthcare costs, which often hides behind are the most widespread in urban East Asia, one can hardly
cultural justifications (of adhering to the social virtues ignore the possibility that collective pre-occupations over
of filial piety) of informal care arrangements that may the future fate of younger generations may have ageist
endanger elderly citizens (Chiu & Yen, 2024; Rozario & consequences (Ng, 2023). That is, although the nurturing of
Hong, 2019). In contrast to many domestic employers who children involves immense affection and parental love, it is
believe, simplistically, that a “maid” in the home symbolizes also the case that younger generations nowadays, whether
filial intentions, the FDWs I spoke to warned about the they like it or not, end up exploiting senior cohorts in some
great risks posed to elderly patients of the existing market way or another in these increasingly uncertain times (e.g.,
model. As one anonymous interviewee said, “people don’t Tadai et al., 2023; Thang et al., 2011 on grandparenting
realize that by treating us badly, like cheaply, people are also labor). I observed such dynamics first-hand in one
harming their own old people.” For context, governments Singapore household where I worked as a home tutor for
approach FDWs as a market option for households a teenage boy; his maternal grandmother, as I understood
needing family care rather than a workforce requiring from his mother during our interview, was put in charge of
adequate training in caregiving skills (Ortiga et al., 2021). childcare during the day – cooking, cleaning, and washing
During the migration to the placement process, it is widely up after him – while supervising an FDW who provides an
known that FDWs often receive little to no training by extra pair of hands around the house.
private recruitment agencies (labor brokers) that are not I am not alone in pointing out that older women in
regulated by state agencies. This hands-off approach, as the particular bear the brunt of gendered expectations in the
women explain, creates abusive and exploitative working social pressure of ideal grandparenting where seniors
conditions that in fact compromise their capacity to care prioritize their grandchildren’s development over their
safely and properly for others (Ng, 2023). Taking FDWs’ retirement comfort (e.g., Hung et al., 2021; Thang et al.,
perspectives necessarily elicit difficult but important 2011). We have a scenario where child-rearing means
conversations about the status quo of filial piety practice devoting unprecedented investments, economically and
in the region and globally. For instance, what are the emotionally, on the part of all family members (Göransson
assumed connections between an adult child’s expression
of filial piety, immigration policies for FDWs, and the et al., 2022; Teo, 2023). Population studies tend to analyze
family care in generic terms without disaggregating its
quality of eldercare? How do FDWs’ lived experiences and various components or unpacking its nuances (Chung
stories unsettle these popular or mainstream views? In this et al., 2021; Peng, 2018). The drastically different nature
vein, it is imperative for researchers to implicate diverse of childcare and eldercare may be part of why people
and dynamic approaches of filial piety ideology that do tend to see these as “unrelated to each other” or as “two
not overly prioritize host society constructs of care needs completely separate things,” as my interviewees conveyed
and wants. Comparative conversations about flexible and (Ng, 2023). Nonetheless, from a theoretical perspective
shifting perceptions of filial piety ethics nationally and for our understanding of care work, it seems important
beyond among different age groups can be a start. It is to contrast eldercare and childcare, among other possible
worth noting that complicating the cultural factors of filial
piety in East Asia, especially in changing family dynamics comparisons, to expand mainstream definitions of social
in diverse Chinese populations (e.g., Li et al., 2021; Yeh reproduction of a population – what it means to socially
et al., 2013), is a relatively less well-researched yet timely reproduce human beings. Indeed, following the pandemic,
domain for population analysts to delve into. gerontological concerns are gaining popular traction in
academic and policy debates as the world faces rapidly
3. What happens to eldercare when aging population woes (Chiu & Yen, 2024). But it is still
everyone is pre-occupied with child the case that eldercare’s extremely devalued status vis-
a-vis other types of care work and general chores is not
futures? often scrutinized (Ng, 2023). Mostly in urban East Asia,
Related to the above, I propose that researchers of care for the elderly and children falls simultaneously on
demographic patterns direct increased analytical energies the sandwiched generation (working adult children and
toward the implications of child-centric norms in market parents) and sometimes occurs under the same roof, yet it
society for eldercare outcomes. Sociological frameworks is typically approached in silos instead of dialectically (Ng,
of education as care labor are of utmost salience in this 2023). There is room for population studies to incorporate

Volume 11 Issue 4 (2025) 3 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.4971