Aging with Limited Kin: Childlessness and Care Arrangements in Singapore and Thailand – Bussarawan “Puk” Teerawichitchainan
Posted: 4/2/2026 (CSDE Seminar Series)
We look forward to welcoming Dr. Bussarawan “Puk” Teerawichitchainan from the National University of Singapore on Friday, April 10th, in Parrington Hall 360 and on Zoom. This seminar is co-sponsored by the Population Health Initiative. To Join By Zoom: Register HERE. Follow this link to sign up for a 1:1 meeting with Dr. Teerawichitchainan during their visit on April 10th
Rapid demographic transitions and changing family structures are increasing the number of adults aging with limited close kin. Drawing on mixed-methods evidence from Thailand and Singapore, this talk examines how childlessness and other forms of constrained kin availability shape long-term care and advance care planning in later life. Findings reveal substantial heterogeneity among childless older adults, pronounced gender differences in care vulnerabilities and planning behaviors, and persistent tensions between familistic norms and the lived realities of kin limitation. Moving beyond deficit-based framings, the presentation highlights adaptive strategies through which older adults reconfigure care and planning, and argues for reimagining kin, care, and policy in low-fertility, family-oriented societies.
Bussarawan “Puk” Teerawichitchainan is an Associate Professor of Sociology and, until December 2025, Co-Director of the Centre for Family and Population Research at the National University of Singapore. Her research examines aging, family, and the life course in Southeast Asia, with recent projects on the long-term impacts of war trauma among older Vietnamese survivors and the dynamics of childless aging in Singapore and Thailand. She is currently a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.
Date: 04/10/2026
Time: 12:30 - 1:30 pm
Location: Parrington Hall Room 360 and on Zoom