IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cog/socinc/v8y2020i2p123-131.html

Perceiving and Deflecting Everyday Poverty-Related Shame: Evidence from 35 Female Marriage Migrants in Rural China

Author

Listed:
  • Guanli Zhang

    (Department of Sociology, Tsinghua University, China)

Abstract

This research examines how poverty is perceived and deflected by a group of female cross-provincial marriage migrants in contemporary rural China. It presents accounts of poverty-related shame in everyday village life. Known as migrant wives, respondents in this research have experienced both absolute and relative poverty over the course of their lives. The personal lament of insufficiency and the social discourse of poverty respectively underpin internal and external poverty-related shame. Correspondingly, migrant wives employ strategies of recounting misery and redefining identity to normalise their poverty and their stigmatised social image, hoping to mitigate the psychological and social impacts of shame. This research contributes an empirical analysis to our understanding about the origin, manifestation, and impact of povertyrelated shame, which is usually a neglected consideration in poverty studies. It also sheds light on the gender-specified risks, burdens, and social expectation that affect migrant wives’ perception and experience of poverty.

Suggested Citation

  • Guanli Zhang, 2020. "Perceiving and Deflecting Everyday Poverty-Related Shame: Evidence from 35 Female Marriage Migrants in Rural China," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 123-131.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:123-131
    DOI: 10.17645/si.v8i2.2671
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/2671
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17645/si.v8i2.2671?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Du, Yang & Park, Albert & Wang, Sangui, 2005. "Migration and rural poverty in China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 688-709, December.
    2. Delia Davin, 1996. "Migration and rural women in China: A look at the gendered impact of large-scale migration," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 8(5), pages 655-665.
    3. Marcelo Medeiros, 2006. "The Rich and the Poor: The Construction of an Affluence Line from the Poverty Line," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 78(1), pages 1-18, August.
    4. Sabina Alkire, James E. Foster, Suman Seth, Maria Emma Santos, Jose M. Roche and Paola Ballon, 2015. "Multidimensional Poverty Measurement and Analysis: Chapter 9 - Distribution and Dynamics," OPHI Working Papers ophiwp090_ch9.pdf, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford.
    5. Sabina Alkire, James E. Foster, Suman Seth, Maria Emma Santos, José M. Roche and Paola Ballon, 2015. "Multidimensional Poverty Measurement and Analysis: Chapter 7 - Data and Analysis," OPHI Working Papers ophiwp088_ch7.pdf, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford.
    6. Liang, Zai & Chen, Yiu Por, 2004. "Migration and Gender in China: An Origin-Destination Linked Approach," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 52(2), pages 423-443, January.
    7. repec:sae:mrxval:v:37:y:2003:i:4:p:1220-1251 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. repec:qeh:ophiwp:ophiwp083 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Alkire, Sabina & Foster, James & Seth, Suman & Santos, Maria Emma & Roche, Jose Manuel & Ballon, Paola, 2015. "Multidimensional Poverty Measurement and Analysis," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199689491.
    10. C Cindy Fan & Ling Li, 2002. "Marriage and Migration in Transitional China: A Field Study of Gaozhou, Western Guangdong," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 34(4), pages 619-638, April.
    11. Walker, Robert, 2014. "The Shame of Poverty," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199684823.
    12. repec:qeh:ophiwp:ophiwp090 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Sabina Alkire, James E. Foster, Suman Seth, Maria Emma Santos, José M. Roche and Paola Ballon, 2015. "Multidimensional Poverty Measurement and Analysis: Chapter 2 - The Framework," OPHI Working Papers ophiwp083_ch2.pdf, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford.
    14. repec:qeh:ophiwp:ophiwp088 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. repec:sae:mrxval:v:33:y:1999:i:4:p:954-987 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Guanli Zhang, 2020. "Perceiving and Deflecting Everyday Poverty-Related Shame: Evidence from 35 Female Marriage Migrants in Rural China," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 123-131.
    2. Qiong Liu & Mingwei Wang & Qian Wang & Dawei Wei, 2025. "Mitigating Rural Multidimensional Poverty Through Digital Inclusive Finance: Real Improvement and Psychological Empowerment," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-20, April.
    3. Ingrid Robeyns & Vincent Buskens & Arnout Rijt & Nina Vergeldt & Tanja Lippe, 2021. "How Rich is Too Rich? Measuring the Riches Line," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 154(1), pages 115-143, February.
    4. Bolier Torres & Jhenny Cayambe & Susana Paz & Kelly Ayerve & Marco Heredia-R & Emma Torres & Marcelo Luna & Theofilos Toulkeridis & Antón García, 2022. "Livelihood Capitals, Income Inequality, and the Perception of Climate Change: A Case Study of Small-Scale Cattle Farmers in the Ecuadorian Andes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, April.
    5. Abre-Rehmat Qurat-ul-Ann & Faisal Mehmood Mirza, 2021. "Multidimensional Energy Poverty in Pakistan: Empirical Evidence from Household Level Micro Data," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 211-258, May.
    6. Londari Yamarak & Kevin A. Parton, 2023. "Impacts of mining projects in Papua New Guinea on livelihoods and poverty in indigenous mining communities," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 36(1), pages 13-27, January.
    7. Tavares, Fernando Flores & Betti, Gianni, 2021. "The pandemic of poverty, vulnerability, and COVID-19: Evidence from a fuzzy multidimensional analysis of deprivations in Brazil," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    8. Gaurav Datt, 2019. "Multidimensional poverty in the Philippines, 2004–2013: How much do choices for weighting, identification and aggregation matter?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1103-1128, October.
    9. Dutta, Indranil & Nogales, Ricardo & Yalonetzky, Gaston, 2021. "Endogenous weights and multidimensional poverty: A cautionary tale," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    10. Juan-Francisco Sánchez-García & María-del-Carmen Sánchez-Antón & Rosa Badillo-Amador & María-del-Carmen Marco-Gil & Juan-Vicente LLinares-Ciscar & Susana Álvarez-Díez, 2019. "A New Extension of Bourguignon and Chakravarty Index to Measure Educational Poverty and Its Application to the OECD Countries," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 145(2), pages 479-501, September.
    11. Julien Hanoteau, 2023. "Do foreign MNEs alleviate multidimensional poverty in developing countries?," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 13(4), pages 719-749, December.
    12. Andrea Brandolini & John Micklewright, 2020. "Tony Atkinson’s new book, Measuring Poverty Around the World. Some further reflections," Working Papers 518, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    13. Jhonatan Clausen & Nicolas Barrantes & Carolina Trivelli & Fabio Salas, 2025. "Evaluating Poverty in all its Forms and Dimensions: Monetary, Multidimensional, and Subjective Poverty in Peru," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 179(2), pages 861-893, September.
    14. Leonardo Gasparini & Pablo Gluzmann & Leopoldo Tornarolli, 2022. "Caracterización de la población vulnerable: una propuesta con estimaciones para Argentina," Económica, Departamento de Economía, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, vol. 68, pages 135-157, January-D.
    15. Yei-Whei Lin & Chih-Nan Chen & Kunpeng Zhao, 2020. "The Capability Approach to Adolescent Poverty in China: the Profile, Decomposition and Predictors of Deprivation," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(1), pages 255-277, February.
    16. Julia Hatamyar & Sally Shayeb & Akseer Hussain & Weeam Hammoudeh & Sumit Mazumdar & Rodrigo Moreno-Serra, 2025. "Multidimensional vulnerability and financial risk protection in health in contexts of protracted conflict: Evidence from the Occupied Palestinian Territory," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19, January.
    17. Najam, Zaira, 2020. "The Sensitivity of Poverty Trends to Dimensionality and Distribution Sensitivity in Poverty Measures - District Level Analysis for Pakistan," MPRA Paper 102383, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Matthys, Marie-Luise & Acharya, Sushant & Khatri, Sanjaya, 2021. "“Before cardamom, we used to face hardship”: Analyzing agricultural commercialization effects in Nepal through a local concept of the Good Life," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    19. Anicia Jaegler, 2022. "How to Measure Inclusion in Higher Education: An Inclusive Rating," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-11, July.
    20. Cecilia Njoroge & Anja Smith & Marisa von Fintel, 2024. "Inequalities in Water Insecurity in Kenya: A Multidimensional Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 175(1), pages 171-193, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v8:y:2020:i:2:p:123-131. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: António Vieira or IT Department (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cogitatiopress.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.