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Around the world, people are living longer and having fewer children, putting pressure on their families, healthcare systems, and social security programs. Intimate Legalities tells the story of why some families go to court to fight over the care of aged parents and why others do not. Their choices are not simply motivated by personal morals; they are also politically influenced. In Mainland China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, officials, administrators, and community leaders hold adult children responsible for looking after their parents and enforce this legal duty in ways that guide them toward or away from the courts. The consequences are devastating for families—physically, financially, emotionally, and morally—especially for women, the rural, and the poor. At the same time, this wide-ranging and compassionately rendered book reveals how governments make themselves vulnerable through their use of law and attempts to control families.