From Care Deficit to Overbearing Care: Childcare Provision and the Growing Inequality Gap in China

International audienceTo build the China Dream, the current Chinese government emphasizes the role of the family in strengthening the country and building the nation. However growing socioeconomic inequalities dramatically impact families and child welfare. This chapter compares child welfare and care support in rural-to-urban migrant and in urban middle-class families. Based on an in-depth qualitative analysis of the stories of sixty families, we argue that socioeconomic inequalities are maintained and reinforced by the increasing gap in the provision of childcare. By comparing care provision for children of migrants with those of the urban middle-class, we can observe how social inequalities are reinforced and reproduced across generations. Indeed, childcare not only impacts children’s future life trajectories but also reflects each family’s symbolic position in society, as the lack of education care becomes a symbol of lower income families

\u201cIs Our Daughter Crazy or Bad?\u201d: A Case Study of Therapeutic Assessment with Children

In this paper we present a new model of intervention with documented efficacy that combines psychological tests and assessment methods with therapeutic techniques to promote change in clients. We will discuss Therapeutic Assessment of Children and their families (TA-C) through the case of a 4-year-old girl, Clara, and her family. Clara\u2019s parents were distressed by her uncontrollable rage outbursts and feared she might be \u201ccrazy\u201d. The treatment helped to shift the narrative the parents had about Clara and give new meanings to her behaviors. We describe in detail the steps of the assessment and provide a theoretical discussion of the therapeutic processes involved