abstract: 'Women being left behind in the countryside by husbands who migrate to

  work has been a common phenomenon in China. On the other hand, over

  time, rural women''s participation in migration has increased

  precipitously, many doing so after their children are older, and those

  of a younger generation tend to start migrant work soon after finishing

  school. Although these women may no longer be left behind physically,

  their work, mobility, circularity, and frequency of return continue to

  be governed by deep-rooted gender ideology that defines their role

  primarily as caregivers. Through the biographical stories of two rural

  women in Anhui, this article shows that traditional gender norms persist

  across generations. Yingyue is of an older generation and provided care

  to her husband, children, and later grandchildren when she was left

  behind, when she participated in migration, and when she returned to her

  village. Shuang is 30 years younger and aspires to urban lifestyle such

  as living in apartments and using daycare for her young children. Yet,

  like Yingyue, Shuang''s priority is caregiving. Her decisions, which are

  in tandem with her parents-in-law, highlight how Chinese families stick

  together as a safety net. Her desire to earn wages, an activity much

  constrained by her caregiving responsibility to two young children,

  illustrates a strong connection between income-generation ability and

  identity among women of the younger generation. These two stories

  underscore the importance of examining how women are left behind not

  only physically but in their access to opportunities such as education

  and income-generating activity.'
affiliation: 'Fan, CC (Corresponding Author), Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Geog, Los
  Angeles, CA 90095 USA.

  Fan, C. Cindy, Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Geog, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA.

  Chen, Chen, Shanghai Univ, Asian Demog Res Inst, Shanghai 200444, Peoples R China.'
author: Fan, C. Cindy and Chen, Chen
author-email: 'fan@geog.ucla.edu

  chenchen923@shu.edu.cn'
author_list:
- family: Fan
  given: C. Cindy
- family: Chen
  given: Chen
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.17645/si.v8i2.2673
eissn: 2183-2803
files: []
journal: SOCIAL INCLUSION
keywords: caregiving; China; left behind; rural-urban migration; women
keywords-plus: MIGRANTS; INEQUALITY; HUKOU
language: English
number: '2'
number-of-cited-references: '29'
orcid-numbers: 'Fan, Chi-fun Cindy/0000-0001-8377-9344

  Chen, Chen/0000-0001-5283-489X'
pages: 47-57
papis_id: fae895404eaacf61d0769f8604efa62f
ref: Fan2020leftmigration
times-cited: '7'
title: Left Behind? Migration Stories of Two Women in Rural China
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000530127400005
usage-count-last-180-days: '4'
usage-count-since-2013: '21'
volume: '8'
web-of-science-categories: Social Issues; Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
year: '2020'