Intergenerational Family Relationships and Old-Age Volunteering: The Perspectives of Older Chinese Immigrants in Greater Sydney, Australia

Embedded in the framework of intergenerational solidarity, this paper explores the interactions between older immigrants' participation in volunteering activities and intergenerational family relationships in the Chinese community in Sydney, Australia. The study investigates the effects of volunteering on the lives of older Chinese immigrants. It draws on 57 in-depth interviews and 6 focus groups with older immigrants, the vast majority of whom were from China. The findings suggest that volunteering among older immigrant parents is shaped by intergenerational family relationships. Volunteering serves to improve the wellbeing of older people who would otherwise suffer from social isolation and often helps to mend strained family relationships. For older Chinese immigrants, volunteering provides a means to access public services, navigate social service systems and reduce dependency on their children, thereby fostering functional, normative and affective solidarity. This study also uncovers the interconnectedness of the six dimensions of intergenerational family relationships, showing that when adult children actively support their older parents' volunteering, it benefits the elderly immigrants, their families as well as the broader community. The paper calls for better preparedness for aging in the context of immigration, advocating for capacity-building initiatives for both older immigrants and their adult children.