Internal migration in China has little impact on gender equality in families
Internal migration in China does not lead to greater gender equality in families, a new doctoral thesis in demography reveals. This challenges the common belief that simply moving from rural to urban areas makes family structures of migrants more egalitarian, according to Weiwen Lai, the author the thesis.
Internal migration in China does not lead to greater gender equality in families, a new doctoral thesis in demography reveals. This challenges the common belief that simply moving from rural to urban areas makes the structures of family life more egalitarian, according to Weiwen Lai, the author the thesis.
As China transitioned into market-oriented economy in the 1980s, there was a surplus of rural labourers, while job opportunities in urban markets increased. This led to a massive rise in internal migration. By 2020, about a quarter of China’s population could be considered internal migrants. This amounts to around 350 million people, most of whom have moved from rural to urban areas.
“I think it’s very difficult for a Chinese, born and raised there, not to notice how important migration is in our social lives”, says Weiwen Lai, newly graduated PhD at the Department of Sociology.
Weiwen Lai, being an immigrant himself, became interested in studying the effects of migration on family relations. He was born in a small Chinese village and he moved to Guangzhou, one of the major cities in the country, for his undergraduate education. Later, he pursued his Master’s degree in Hong Kong, before moving to Stockholm for his PhD.
In his doctoral thesis, Weiwen Lai explores migration intentions. Previous research shows that men tend to migrate at a higher rate than women. Weiwen Lai’s thesis confirms this trend and investigates whether there is a difference between men’s and women’s migration intentions.
“I wanted to take a step back and see if people want to migrate in the first place. Are men more likely to migrate because they have a stronger migration intention, and the intention then pushes them to translate it into reality? And I conclude, in this thesis, that it’s not the case. Men do have stronger migration intentions, but what matters more for the gender differentials in migration outcomes is men’s higher chances of realising their positive migration intentions.”
Another aspect that Weiwen Lai examined in his thesis is the impact of migration on family relations. Specifically, he aimed to determine whether migration affects gender equality within couples. He analysed survey data, using the distribution of housework as an indicator of gender equality. His findings show no significant change in how couples distribute household tasks after migrating. This challenges the common perception in China that moving from rural to urban areas leads to more egalitarian relationships.
In the future, Weiwen Lai hopes to study migration in the contexts where there are more exiting quality data, such as Europe, and explore the link between migration intentions and outcomes. Understanding migration intentions could provide better insights into future population changes, which may impact urban planning and other policy decisions.
“I think that it’s important that the society as a whole has a better understanding of migration”, says Weiwen Lai.
Contact
Weiwen Lai, PhD: weiwen.lai@sociology.su.se
The thesis
Last updated: April 8, 2025
Source: The Department of Sociology