Discernible rupture and implicit continuity: The modernization of family ethics from the perspective of intergenerational co-parenting in China

Abstract

This article examines the intergenerational co-parenting experiences of “second-generation rural migrant” families, and the practical process of rebuilding family balance by the parent generation in cohabitation and co-parenting setting during the urbanization of rural households. Under the intense pressure of modernization, the parent generation consciously seeks to raise their children according to the concepts and skills of cultivating the modern individual, causing a significant rupture from the ideas of the grandparent generation. At the same time, with the practice of cohabitation and co-parenting, the parent generation implicitly maintains traditional notions of parent–child oneness (qinzi yiti) to balance family relationships. To various degrees a “cultural self-awareness” may have occurred in the recognition that modern parenting practices depend on the support of traditional forms of familial oneness. The intertwining of oneness (yiti) and individuality (geti) shapes the emotional worlds of family members. When the parent generation develops a recognition of “oneness” alongside individual reflections on individualism, the apparent differences between tradition and modernization can be bridged, and both individuality and oneness can be genuinely implemented. When the parent generation exercises individual space within oneness, obvious differences can be rationalized in family life. However, when the parent generation fails to coordinate properly, oneness and individuality may fragment into two opposing forces that can tear apart the family. It is noteworthy that conflicts and deep divisions in rural families often happen between grandparents and mothers. This phenomenon may indicate that intensive modernization and ideological conflicts have likely placed women at the precise intersection of social and familial tensions. The study not only highlights the profound and enduring support of traditional ethics in the Chinese modernization process but also underscores its potential for creative transformation in the present context.