Women's Center: Addressing the Needs of Empty-Nest Mothers in China

Chen, Xi

Savannah, Georgia: Savannah College of Art and Design

2020-05

Thesis (M.F.A.) -- Interior Design

Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Interior Design

Includes bibliographical references (pages 49-52) and glossary.

"In contemporary China, the size of a family is becoming smaller. The trend is obvious in some big cities, such as Shanghai. According to the census in 2010, the basic family structure in Shanghai was a family of three (Xinmin, 2011). This fact has caused a problem because the only-child grows and leaves home for work or study. Some parents, especially mothers, have experienced the empty-nest syndrome when the child leaves. Besides, women more commonly experience depression and psychological distress than men (WHO, 2009). Middle-aged women's quality of life has been influenced by the children's departure and the transition at midlife. The lack of space for middle-aged women's leisure-time activities also aggravated this problem. The purpose of this research is to build a women’s center for middle aged empty-nest mothers in China based on the three research methods: survey, observation, and photo ethnography." --Abstract

*Keywords: empty-nest syndrome, leisure activities, quality of life, women's center

CHAIR: Letourneau, Monica

Hansen, Ryan

Buchanan, Katherine

English

Interior Design

Text

PDF (52 pages, color illustrations, graphs, maps, plans)

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