SHANGHAI – A woman in eastern China has sued her son for more than 360,000 yuan (RM217,000) in compensation after spending 15 years raising her granddaughter.
A Shanghai court revealed details of the case in April, which was filed last year by the woman, identified as Xu, who is in her 60s, against her son, Liang.
Xu, who had divorced her husband, lived with Liang. After Liang divorced in 2014, she took on most of the responsibility for raising his daughter.
According to Xinmin Evening News, Xu covered her granddaughter’s daily expenses, medical bills and education costs throughout the 15-year period.
In her lawsuit, Xu claimed that her son lacked a sense of responsibility towards his family and had failed to fulfil his duties as a father.
Liang, however, argued that he had contributed towards his daughter’s expenses according to his financial means, particularly when he was earning only around 3,000 yuan (RM1,800) a month.
The dispute intensified after Liang remarried and moved out with his new wife, leaving his daughter in Xu’s care.
After 15 years of caring for her granddaughter, Xu said financial pressure had left her unable to continue shouldering the responsibility, prompting her to seek compensation from her son.
Legal experts said disputes over childcare payments between grandparents and their adult children were not intended to commercialise family relationships, but rather to clarify each party’s responsibilities.
The case has also fuelled wider discussion about changing family structures in China, where grandparents are increasingly taking on childcare responsibilities as parents face economic and work pressures. – Agencies