[1]: 232 Like other traditional societies, multi-generational households in which younger generations supported those in their old age were the historical trend.
[1]: 234–235 In the early 1950s, China established a social security system covering workers at state-owned enterprises (SOEs), collectively-owned enterprises, government administrative units (such as Ministries) and operative units (such as public universities and state-owned hospitals).
[1]: 235 China's Seventh Five-Year Plan required that responsibility for social security be moved from enterprises to society.
[1]: 236 Therefore, in 1986 the State Council issued regulations mandating the creation of a social security account for short-term workers.
[1]: 235 During the Third Plenary Session of the 14th Central Committee of the Communist Party in 1993, China passed its Decision on Several Issues Concerning the Establishment of the Socialist Market Economic System.
[1]: 237 Local governments were allowed to chose the size of the pooling accounts and as a result, systems varied regionally.
[1]: 237 In July 1997, the State Council issued its "Decision on Establishing a Unified Enterprise Employee Basic Pension Insurance System.
[1]: 237 In December 2005, the State Council issued its "Decision on Improving the Basic Social Security System for Workers and Staff in Enterprises," a regulation which sought to resolve the shortage of funds in individual social security accounts.