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Female Migration, Cultural Context, and Son Preference in Rural China

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  • Yao Lu

  • Ran Tao

Abstract

How does female out-migration reconfigure gender values surrounding son preference in origin communities? We propose that the feminization of migration has the potential to infuse origin communities with economic and ideational changes that may challenge son preference. Rural China provides an interesting setting, both because its unprecedented labor out-migration has increasingly included women and because of its persistent son preference. Using data from rural China and instrumental variable regressions to adjust for potential endogeneity bias, this study shows that out-migration of women, but not of men, attenuates son preference among those in origin communities. The role of female out-migration transcends families with direct ties to migration and extends to the entire village. However, cultural context and family positions within that context condition the role of female migration: specifically, the preferences of individuals in families and villages embedded in strong patrilineal cultural practices are less likely to be shaped by female out-migration. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Yao Lu & Ran Tao, 2015. "Female Migration, Cultural Context, and Son Preference in Rural China," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 34(5), pages 665-686, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:34:y:2015:i:5:p:665-686
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-015-9357-x
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    3. Zheng Shen & Derek S. Brown & Xiaodong Zheng & Hualei Yang, 2022. "Women’s Off-Farm Work Participation and Son Preference in Rural China," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(3), pages 899-928, June.
    4. R. V. Fattakhov & M. M. Nizamutdinov & V. V. Oreshnikov, 2019. "Trends and factors shaping the territorial mobility of the population in the regions of the Russian Federation," Russian Journal of Industrial Economics, MISIS, vol. 12(1).
    5. Futing Chen & Cuntong Wang & Yihe WangDing, 2024. "The Interplay of Sibling Sex Composition, Son Preference, and Child Education in China: Evidence from the One-Child Policy," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 43(5), pages 1-31, October.
    6. Liu, Huanwen & Dong, Yanfang & Luo, Changfu, 2024. "Why do women bear more? The impact of energy poverty on son preference in Chinese rural households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    7. Kai Hu & Cuiling Zhang, 2025. "The rural-urban difference in fertility before and after the onset of the two-child policy in China," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 1-17, September.
    8. Alice Evans, 2019. "How Cities Erode Gender Inequality: A New Theory and Evidence from Cambodia," CID Working Papers 356, Center for International Development at Harvard University.

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