Problems of Children of Internal Labor Migrants in Modern China: Analysis of Recent Studies

Occupation: Associate Professor, School of International Regional Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics
Affiliation: National Research University Higher School of Economics
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow, Myasnitskaya Str., 20

Journal name

Problemy Dalnego Vostoka

Edition

Issue 1

Pages

149-162

Abstract

With China's urbanization and its development in market economy, mass rural-to-urban migration expanded over the past 35 years. The change in the forms of parental migration (from single to pair and then family) has led to significant shifts in the situation with rural children, putting forward new research issues. Consequently, children affected by internal labor migration have greatly increased in number, reaching over 100 million people (about 70 million continue to live in villages, and more than 35 million have moved to cities with their parents). Using data from international research published for the past 3 years, we more accurately determined main characteristics of left-behind and migrant-children. Being a vulnerable group in rural China, these children now are facing many problems in mental, physical and psychological development. Due to the differences in the environment in which children grow up we examined the existing approaches of scholars on the impact of internal labor migration on each group. For rural left-behind children the most acute issues are low academic performance, limited educational resources, and disruption in the process of socialization. While urban migration is related to the issues of inclusion in education, cultural isolation, and other psychological problems.

Keywords

China, labor migration, urbanization, migrant children, educational inequality, social adaptation, cultural isolation

Received

05.12.2021

Publication date

16.02.2022

Number of characters

38604

Cite

GOST	Seliverstova Y. Problems of Children of Internal Labor Migrants in Modern China: Analysis of Recent Studies // Problemy Dalnego Vostoka – 2022. – Issue 1 C. 149-162 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://pdv.jes.su/S013128120017797-7-1 (circulation date: 02.10.2023). DOI: 10.31857/S013128120017797-7
MLA	Seliverstova, Yulia A "Problems of Children of Internal Labor Migrants in Modern China: Analysis of Recent Studies." Problemy Dalnego Vostoka 1 (2022):149-162. DOI: 10.31857/S013128120017797-7
APA	Seliverstova Y. (2022). Problems of Children of Internal Labor Migrants in Modern China: Analysis of Recent Studies. Problemy Dalnego Vostoka (1), pp.149-162 DOI: 10.31857/S013128120017797-7

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 2, views: 479

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Barlukova O.M., Peng Ling. K voprosu o sostojanii obrazovanija detej sel'skih migrantov v Kitae (On the Issue of the State of Education of Children of Rural Migrants in China). Vestnik Buryatskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Pedagogika. Filologiya. Filosofiya. 2014. No. 8. (In Russ.).

2. Chen Hongsheng, Wang Xingping, Liu Ye, Liu Yuqi. Migrants' Choice of Household Split or Reunion in China's Urbanisation Process: The Effect of Objective and Subjective Socioeconomic Status. Cities. 2020. No. 102.

3. Cui Kunjie, To Siu-ming. Migrant Status, Social Support, and Bullying Perpetration of Children in Mainland China. Children and Youth Services Review. 2019. No. 7.

4. Fang Lue. The Well-Being of China’s Rural to Urban Migrant Children: Dual Impact of Discriminatory Abuse and Poverty. Child abuse and Neglect. 2020. No. 99.

5. Fang Yiping, Shi Zhilei. Children of Migrant Parents: Migrating Together or Left Behind. Habitat International. 2018. No. 76.

6. Hu Bi Ying, Wu Huiping, Winsler Adam, Fan Xitao, Song Zhanmei. Parent Migration and Rural Preschool Children’s Early Academic and Social Skill Trajectories in China: Are ‘Left-behind’ Children Really Left behind? Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 2019. No. 51.

7. Hu Hongwei, Lu Shuang, Huang Chien-Chung. The Psychological and Behavioral Outcomes of Migrant and Left-Behind Children in China. Children and Youth Services Review. 2014. No. 46.

8. Kuznecova V.V., Mashkina O.A. Razvitie sistemy obrazovanija v KNR: problem i puti ih reshenija (Development of the Education System in the PRC: Problems and Ways to Solve Them). Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Ser. 20. Pedagogicheskoe obrazovanie. 2018. No. 4. (In Russ.).

9. Liu Mengqi, Villa Kira M. Solution or Isolation: is Boarding School a Good Solution for Left behind Children in Rural China? China Economic review. 2020. No. 1.

10. Liu Zhiqiang, Yu Li, Zheng Xiang. No longer left-behind: The Impact of Return Migrant Parents on Children's Performance. China Economic Review. 2020. No. 49.

11. Lynch K. Growing up in cities. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1977.

12. Ma Gaoming, Wu Qiaobing. Social Capital and Educational Inequality of Migrant Children in Contemporary China. Children and Youth Services Review. 2019. No. 99.

13. OECD. OECD Economic surveys: China 2019. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2019.

14. Passport analysis. China in 2030: The Future Demographic. 2019. URL: https://proxylibrary.hse.ru:3617/portal/Analysis/Tab (accessed: 13.03.2020).

15. Passport analysis. Nearing the Urban Billion: How Urbanization is Changing the Face of China’s Cities. 2019. URL: https://proxylibrary.hse.ru:3617/portal/Analysis/Tab (accessed: 13.03.2020).

16. Ponkratova L.A., Trakova E.V. Vnutrennjaja migracija v Kitae: chto pokazala perepis' naselenija 2010 goda (Internal Migration in China: What the 2010 Census Showed). Rossija i Kitaj: novyj vector razvitija social'no-jekonomicheskogo sotrudnichestva / Ed. by L.А. Ponkratova, A.A. Zabiyako. Blagoveshchensk: Amur State University, 2014. (In Russ.).

17. Seliverstova Yu.A. Demograficheskoe budushhee Kitaja (The Demographic Future of China). Demographic review. 2020. No. 7 (4). (In Russ.).

18. Wang Chunchao, Zhang Chenglei, Ni Jinlan, Zhang Haifeng, Zhang Junsen. Family Migration in China: Do Migrant Children Affect Parental Settlement Intention? Journal of Comparative Economics. 2019. No. 47.

19. Wang Lili. Puti i formy sovershenstvovanija migracii krest'jan v goroda v Kitae (Ways and forms of Improving the Migration of Peasants to Cities in China). Meditsina. Sotsiologiya. Filosofiya. Prikladnye issledovaniya. 2020. No. 2. (In Russ.).

20. Wei Yanning, Gong Yue. Understanding Chinese rural-to-urban migrant children's education predicament: A dual sistem perspective. International Journal of Educational Development. 2019. No. 69.

21. Wu Yao. Social'naja integracija kitajskih vnutrennih migrantov: uslovija zhizni vnutrennih migrantov (agricultural to nonagricultural) imigrantov rabochih (Social integration of Chinese Internal Migrants: Living Conditions of Internal Migrants (agricultural to nonagricultural) and Migrant Workers). Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Ser. 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya. 2018. No. 4. (In Russ.).

22. Xiao Yuanyuan, He Lipin, Chang Wei. Self-harm Behaviors, Suicidal Ideation, and Associated Factors Among Rural Left-behind Children in West China. Annals of Epidemiology. 2020. No. 42.

23. Xu Limin, Cheung Monit, Leung Patrick, Xu Yongxiang. Migrant Child Phenomenon in China: Subjective Happiness Factors for Assessing Service Needs. Children and Youth Services Review. 2018. No. 90.

24. Yang Chenlu, Liu Xiaoli, Yang Yuning, Huang Xiaona, Song Qiying, Wang Yan, Zhou Hong. Violent Disciplinary Behaviors Towards Left-behind Children in 20 Counties of Rural China. Children and Youth Services Review. 2020. No. 114.

25. Yang Guanyi, Bansak C. Does Wealth Matter? An Assessment of China's Rural-urban Migration on the Education of Left-behind Children. China Economic Review. 2020. No. 59.

26. Yin Shasha. Deti derevenskih migrantov v Kitae: issledovanie problem socializacii (Children of Rural Migrants in China: Research on the Socialization Problems). Obshchestvo: sotsiologiya, psikhologiya, pedagogika. 2019. No. 2 (58). (In Russ.).

27. Zhao Xinyi, Fu Fang, Zhou Luqing. The Mediating Mechanism Between Psychological Resilience and Mental Health Among Left-Behind Children in China. Children and Youth Services Review. 2020. No. 110.

28. 第七次全面的人口普查主要数据情况 (The Main Data on the 7-th Population Census of the People’s Republic of China). URL: http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/zxfb/202105/t20210510_1817176.html (accessed: 20.07.2021). (In Chin.).

29. 刘群，查贵芳. 留守儿童与流动儿童社会性发展研究的现状、问题与前瞻 (Liu Qun, Zha Guifang. A Study on the Current Situation, Issues and Prospect of Left-Behind Children and Migrant Children in Social Development). 天津市教科院学报. 2020. No. 6.