Centre for Policy on Ageing



Respect for the elderly in Asia: stability and change
Author(s)	Berit Ingersoll-Dayton, Chanpen Saengtienchai
Journal title	International Journal of Aging and Human Development, vol 48, no 2, 1999
Pages	pp 113-130
Keywords	Attitudes to the old of general public ; Social change ; Asia ; Taiwan ; Thailand ; Singapore ; Philippines.
Annotation	Respect for older people is built into the fabric of most Asian countries. This study analysed data from seventy-nine focus groups conducted in the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. The research examined ways in which respect for older people is experienced in these four countries, the extent to which respect has changed over time, and the reasons for changes in respect for elderly people. Using qualitative analysis, five distinct dimensions of respect were identified: gestures and manners, tokens, customs and rituals, asking for advice, and obedience. Focus group discussions indicated that changes have occurred on most of these dimensions of respect. The changes were attributed to variations in family structure and function, education, income, and modernisation. These findings are discussed in relation to changing definitions of respect and variations in the way in which respect for older people is expressed in Asia. (AKM).
Accession Number	CPA-990723229 A
Classmark	TOB: TMH: 7C: 7DP: 7HG: 7XD: 7XK
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.