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Portrait Lisa Eklund. Photo: Emma Lord.

Lisa Eklund

Associate Professor | Senior Lecturer

Portrait Lisa Eklund. Photo: Emma Lord.

Gender Roles and Female Labour Migration —A Qualitative Field Study of Female Migrant Workers in Beijing

Author

  • Lisa Eklund

Summary, in English

Based on in-depth interviews with single and married rural women working as temporary migrants in Beijing, this thesis explores motives for migration, as well as consequences of migration on women with regard to social status and their status as dughters, wives and mothers. The thesis concludes that customs regarding marriage and child-bearing in the home villages of the migrants contribute to their wish to leave the countryside. Moreover, in addition to moving to the city to find a job, single migrant women often hope to find a partner, and thereby the destinction between labour and marital migration is blurred. Experiences of migration contributing to shifting migrant women's ideals and aspirations for future husbands. However, due to conflictig norms between their families, themselves and their home communities as well as their subordinate status as "rural migrants" in the city makes their chances at the "marriage market" look dim.

Department/s

  • Sociology

Publishing year

2000

Language

English

Publication/Series

PROP Report

Document type

Report

Publisher

Department of Sociology, Lund University

Topic

  • Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)

Keywords

  • labour migration
  • sociologi
  • women migrants
  • China
  • gender roles
  • Rural-urban migration
  • sociology

Status

Published

Report number

29