The Parents Who Hired Their Stressed Child to Become Their Full-Time Daughter

Photo byLau keithonUnsplash

Every parent dreams of growing old and being surrounded by their loved ones; however, one Chinese family took that dream to new heights when they found their daughter was stressed by her 9 to 5 job, which was challenging and harsh as her employment demanded being on call 24 hours a day. However, when 40-year-old Nianan found the pressure exerted on her unbearable, her parents had a proposition for her. The worried parents suggested Nianan should stay at home and quit her job. Instead, they would give her a monthly allowance of 4000 Yuan, equivalent to $570 from their 10,000 yuan monthly retirement pension, estimated to be around $1500. Nianan found her parents’ offer irresistible and accepted to become a “full-time daughter.”

In Nianan’s new job title as a “full-time daughter,” she described her new job as a love-filled profession. Unlike her old stressful job, her new job involved a varied daily routine where she and her parents did the things they loved together. For instance, Nianan and her parents would spend their mornings dancing together. After that, Nianan would accompany her parents to their grocery shopping and cook dinner together in the evenings.

Unlike Nianan, who found solace in the employment of her parents as a “full-time daughter,” a recent survey by the Wuhan University of Science and Technology found that more than 80 percent of the Chinese workforce are overworked where most of these employees are also mentally and physically stressed in unprecedented high levels. Moreover, the survey found 12.9% of Chinese employees work more than 10 hours of weekly overtime which is about a weekly 47.56 hours of work compared to the 40 hours that is the expected national standard working hours. Additionally, 53% of Chinese employees work late at night, while about 71.9% of the workforce are forced to work irregular working hours.

Unlike Nianan’s former colleagues, who are stressed and overworked, her role as “full-time daughter” comes with few responsibilities. For instance, Nianan is responsible for handling all the electronic gadgets and appliances for her parents. Moreover, she is responsible for driving around her parents and arranging their monthly family trips. Nevertheless, although the pay is very little compared to what she would get from regular employment, her parents support her decisions. As a result, it’s up to Nianan whether she wants to continue in her “full-time daughter” arrangement with her parents or return to her previous job.

Although Nianan’s new role has generated a lot of debate, critics lambasted her new role as simply relying on her parents, while others compared it to that of a housewife. However, for Nianan, beginning her mornings dancing with her parents and ending her evenings cooking dinner with her father is more fulfilling than being on call 24 hours a day.