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Hukou or Son? Access to Urban Citizenship and Sex Selection of Migrants in China

Author

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  • Jun Li
  • Wei Wang
  • Mengxuan Wu

Abstract

China’s hukou reform in 2014 provided migrants with the opportunity to obtain urban hukou, but it also prompted them to weigh the trade-off between securing hukou and having a son. Leveraging the data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey from 2011 to 2017, we find that the 2014 hukou reform in China resulted in an average increase of 8.43% in the probability that a migrant’s second child is male. Moreover, the reform’s effect on sex selection is particularly salient among migrants from provinces with a two-child policy and among those with long-term settlement intentions. These findings highlight the unintended demographic consequences of institutional reforms and underscore the persistent influence of son preference in shaping fertility behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Jun Li & Wei Wang & Mengxuan Wu, 2026. "Hukou or Son? Access to Urban Citizenship and Sex Selection of Migrants in China," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 74(3), pages 1079-1104.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:ecdecc:doi:10.1086/737867
    DOI: 10.1086/737867
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