One of the most remarkable phenomena of the 21st century is the increase in social and economic mobility opportunities in rapidly developing countries. In these locations, the impact of globalization on national policies and economies has allowed many people to enjoy new options in their education, employment, saving and spending patterns, marriage, and other life decisions. For people living in rural areas, migration is essential to accessing the opportunities available in urban areas. Rural families are affected even more deeply as millions of young women migrate from villages to work and live in urban areas. This rural-to-urban migration is changing the roles of women in the family, and affecting the agency of young women in traditional family decision-making processes. Although researchers have attempted to understand how migration is changing the roles of young women in developing countries, a review of the literature indicates that researchers have thus far made reflexive, untested assumptions about changes in women's roles in the family and women's agency in family decision-making. This study will be the first to directly examine the early migration decision-making process. Using China as a case study, this dissertation will address this gap by collecting 141 in-depth qualitative interviews to explore two issues in migration; as a decision made in the family and carried out by daughters; and as a process that affects young women's agency in negotiating with the family in the decision-making process. These issues are explored by focusing on three research questions: (1) how is the migration decision shaped by expectations in women's families; (2) how do unmarried daughters perceive their ability, limitations, and likelihood of meeting those expectations; and (3) how do daughters express agency in family decision-making prior to and after their first migration for urban employment. The co-PI will conduct Interviews with 150 young women and other family members in four cities in Liaoning Province (Shenyang, Dalian, Jinzhou, and Chaoyang).
The knowledge gained from this study has broader impacts for the social sciences. First, it will facilitate the development of theories and hypotheses for quantitative analyses of migration and its linkages to women's agency. Second, findings can inform the development of survey instruments and quantitative measures that gauge (1) the role of the family in migration decisions and processes, (2) the expressed agency by young women from rural areas as impacted by migration experiences, and (3) the dynamics of negotiation and expectations about the rights and obligations of young women in their families in rural settings. Further, the project will inform the development of policies aimed at increasing women's agency and social power.
