They are also Parents They Are Also Parents - A Study on Migrant Workers | Page 16

CCR CSR | A Study on Migrant Workers with Left-behind Children in China | August 2013
2. The impact of migration on families
CCR CSR | A Study on Migrant Workers with Left-behind Children in China | August 2013
2.2 Motivations, approaches to finding jobs and household economy
Young migrant workers left home in pursuit of personal opportunity,
2.1 Age, education and place of residence
while migrant-worker parents tend to do so for their children’s well
being.
More than a half of parents – in particular the parents of migrant children Most young migrant workers work away from their hometowns for two-to-five
– interviewed for our research were 30-39 years old. The age differences years. The majority (66%) is initially motivated by self-development, and this
extended to their families, where the left-behind children tended to be was still the case after several years of work.
between 2-6 years old, while most migrant children were between 7-10 years
old. Most of families had only one (42%) or two children (30%), with majority Main source of income, wage-levels and spending
of boys. The survey showed that 82% of migrant worker parents have agricultural
household registrations (hukou), and 77% have farmland in their hometowns,
Most migrant-worker parents lived in dormitories provided by their employer, or
but their main source of income is migrant labor.
in rental housing. Very few have been able to successfully apply for in-factory
accommodation suitable for families. In Chongqing, workers were more likely The level of payment corresponded to workers’ age and work experience. On
to bring their parents to the city to look after the grandchildren because their average the parents of migrant children earned higher wages (CNY 2,500 per
hometowns are generally closer. month) than the parents of children left-behind. About a third of all surveyed
parents and less than half young workers earned CNY 2000 or less per month.
In terms of education, around half of migrant-worker parents had only
completed middle school, with some 16% completing further vocational On average, parent migrant workers spend half their wages on their children,
school education. By comparison, the younger migrant workers who are yet and around a third on living expenses. Due to the high costs of raising
to be parents, had higher rates of vocational training (45%), with only 23% children, migrant-worker parents are under a significant financial pressure,
completing their education at the middle school level. and generally have high-income expectations.
The children’s education-status varied depending on the area studied. In Migrant-worker parents generally rely on personal networks to find
Chongqing, the majority of migrant children were preschoolers, since school- jobs
aged children are more likely to be sent to schools in their hometown. In the Most migrant-worker parents found their work through personal networks and
PRD, migrant children were generally elementary school and junior grade, as factory recruitment sessions. Young migrant workers were more likely to rely
parents tend to take school-age children to the city. on their schools to find jobs. In Chongqing, where more parents had tertiary
schooling and basic computer literacy, around 40% of the workers have found
A literature review revealed that the numbers of both left-behind and migrant
their jobs online.
children, in particular the preschoolers, have rapidly increased. The study also
found that once children move away their hometowns, it is rare for them to
return.
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