Leng Leng Thang

Freedom Found? The Later-life Transnational Migration of Japanese Women to Western Australia and Thailand

Despite being a relatively recent research topic, studies on transnational later-life retirement have noted the diversity of the phenomenon. This study of Japanese women in later-life moving to live in Western Australia and Thailand adds to the diversity by examining the gendered dimension of the phenomenon. Through an analysis of the dominant narrative of “seeking for freedom” in their motivation to leave Japan, the paper examines what are the expressions of freedom as perceived by the women and the challenges confronting them in later-life migration. Their subjective experiences reflect migration in later-life as a dynamic process, and later-life migration as more complex than mere classification of their motivations into amenity-seeking or otherwise.

Population aging, older workers and productivity issues: the case of Singapore

This paper examines the issues and challenges facing the productivity of an aging society in Singapore. While the older workforce is recognized as an increasingly essential labor supply in the era of rapid demographic aging, there are challenges to the employment of older workers, including employers’ negative stereotypes of older workers and concerns with labor productivity, as the current cohort of older workers in Singapore tends to be less educated, and many are employed in low-skilled jobs. The paper follows with a discussion of the measures adopted by the state to encourage, enable and enhance the employment/re-employment and productivity of older workers. Such measures include the enactment of re-employment legislation, training and financial grants for companies to put in place the re-employment policies, skills upgrading and work training programs to enhance employability of older workers and the promotion of age-friendly workplace. However, under the shadow of an inevitable decline in labor force, productivity growth has become more pertinent, thus an emphasis on innovation, the adoption of flexible work systems, an integrated management strategy catering to a multigenerational workforce and a rethink of the notions of retirement and productivity are necessary for a sustainable society and economy.

Being a Good Grandparent: Roles and Expectations in Intergenerational Relationships in Japan and Singapore

In Asia, families are shrinking as a result of low fertility and a decline in three-generational households. On top of that, the emerging cohort of “new” grandparents who demand freedom and their own space will have an impact on the re-structuring, functions, and expectations in intergenerational relationships. Drawn from qualitative interviews with three generations conducted in Japan and Singapore, the authors explore the diverse roles of Asian grandparents in the family and show the co-existence of contradictory roles in this article. The experiences and expectations as articulated by the grandparents, combined with voices from the link parents and grandchildren illustrate the grandparents’ over-arching principle of non-interference. However, to what extent is this principle adopted by the grandparents? And how does it co-exist with other roles and expectations? An examination of these questions underscores the dynamics and complexity of intergenerational relationships in changing Asian family contexts.

Conclusion: Change and Continuity of Grandparenting in Contemporary Asia

Grandparenthood is experienced with the participation of other generations. As illustrated in the conceptual model outlined in Chap. 1, the interactions and relationships are dynamic, and vary amongst the generations as each generation goes through their life course. Discussions in the chapters have illustrated that they are further mediated by a host of diverse factors, including living arrangements, gender, ethnicity, health, education, social-economic status, maternal or paternal relations, work commitments, sociocultural expectations of each generation on the other and the self, and so on.

Introduction: Grandparenthood in Asia

Have you ever wondered why the word grandparent has the ‘parent’ component in it? Is it because grandparent is one’s parent’s parent OR is it because a grandparent has the love and compassion of a parent? As this book focuses on the Asian grandparent, let us take a quick look at the terminology to gain some insights. In Mandarin language, the paternal grandfather is Ye Ye, and the grandmother is Nainai.

Contextual Challenges and the Mosaic of Support: Understanding the Vulnerabilities of Low-Income Informal Caregivers of Dependent Elders in Singapore

Informal caregivers play an increasingly important and demanding role in providing and ensuring long-term care for elders. To date, few studies have qualitatively explored the challenges and coping strategies adopted by informal caregivers of dependent elders from lower-income households in Singapore. Based on data from in-depth interviews with 19 respondents, this study provides detailed and nuanced accounts of the lived experiences of low-income informal caregivers. The strains associated with the scarcity of resources among low-income caregivers are compounded by contextual challenges such as fractured familial relationships, role conflicts, and perceived barriers in their institutional environment. To overcome these challenges, low-income caregivers resort to a mix of informal and formal sources of support. Suggested improvements for policies and service provision to address the vulnerabilities of low-income caregivers will also be discussed in light of current gaps.

Transnational retirement mobility as processes of identity negotiation: the case of Japanese in South-east Asia

ABSTRACT The increasing mobility of Japanese retirees to South-east Asia is part of a larger political economy reconfiguration in the region. This article argues that in order to fully appreciate the underlying dynamics of transnational retirement mobility, we should understand the mobility as processes of contestation over the seemingly simple question of ‘who is a retiree migrant?’. The governments of the destination countries and an emerging retirement industry strive to turn the retiree migrants into a particular type of high-value consumer subject. But the retirees see themselves as pragmatic individuals who seek to enjoy low living costs in South-east Asia in a time of economic uncertainty. The article sheds new light on transnational retirement mobility by examining how the retirees explore their sense of self while interacting with various actors. By linking it with the Foucauldian notion of subject making, this article deepens our understanding of identity negotiation in a transnational context.

Meanings of Being a Grandparent

Despite being a universally recognised social category – a role that an individual will assume when his or her offspring becomes a parent – what constitutes being a grandparent nevertheless encompasses some degree of vagueness, especially when compared with other the familial social roles of parent or child. This perhaps explains why questions relating to ‘what it means to be a grandparent’ have attracted much attention in the literature of grandparenthood.

The Socio-psychological Well-Being of Grandparents

Understanding what contributes to the well-being of older people and the ways to promote this is undoubtedly an important area of enquiry, especially in a steadily ageing society. It is common to associate successful ageing with psychological well-being (Baltes and Carstensen 1996) and quality of life. What constitutes psychological well-being may vary across cultures. As discovered in a study by Ingersoll-Dayton et al. (2004) exploring culturally relevant measures of psychological well-being, the conceptualisation of psychological well-being amongst Thai elders differs distinctly from those identified by Western scholars. Whilst the conceptualisation of selfhood as independent and autonomous is highly valued in the Western context (Ryff and Keyes 1995), Thai elders are instead found to conceptualise well-being, centring on the family and valuing acceptance by others, interdependence and harmonious relationships. These values also parallel the perception of the self in relation to others in Asian cultures (Fiske et al. 1998; Oerter et al. 1996).

“A Message on Life to the Young”—Perceiving a Senior Volunteer Activity in Japan from an Intergenerational Perspective

Abstract Intergenerational programming has gained more recognition in Japan in the last decade or so, as research and reports on the status and case studies of intergenerational programs become available since mid-1990s. This paper examines the case study of a volunteer narrative group called G-117 formed primarily by seniors who are survivors of the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake as an example of an emerging intergenerational program. The research was carried out mainly during fieldwork among senior volunteer groups in Kobe from late 2001 to early 2002, primarily through qualitative approaches of interviews and participant observation. I propose that besides observational research, a more in-depth engagement through ethnographic case study, although much less common in intergenerational program research, is also important in providing rich, contextualized understanding of the development of an intergenerational program, particularly in a cross-cultural setting.