A forty-year-old Chinese woman has quit her job to become a “full-time daughter” working for her parents.
After 15 years of working in a news agency, Nianan became tired of the constant obligation to be available 24 hours a day and the stress levels and challenges of her job.
Her parents stepped in and asked her why she didn’t “just quit [her] job?” and offered her 4,000 yuan (around 212 BHD) a month to become a “full-time daughter.”
Nianan’s job entails cooking dinner with her father, spending an hour every day dancing with her parents, taking them grocery shopping, driving them around and organizing family trips every month.
She describes her job as a “profession filled with love.”
Despite this, Nianyan says that the desire to earn more money continues to pressure her.
Whilst her parents have assured her that she is free to leave at any time and get a more conventional job, Nianyan still struggles to decide between the increasing pressures of the job market and her current unconventional, relaxing lifestyle.
The internet has had mixed reactions towards Nianyan’s decision to work for her parents.
One social media user said, "Clearly, it is simply relying on one’s parents, known as ken lao in Chinese, which translates into 'eat the old', yet they insist on labelling it as being a 'full-time daughter'."
However, others have come to Nianyan's defence, with another user arguing that "If both the parents and their children are genuinely happy, why not embrace it? In the future, the young labour force will hold a higher value. If some people consider it ken lao, or relying on parents, then why not exchange children to take care of the elderly in each others’ families?"
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