May,_2010_(women,_mobility)

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1、899BridgingDividesandBreakingHomes:YoungWomen’sLifecycleLabourMobilityasaFamilyManagerialStrategyShannonMay*ABSTRACTThisarticlehighlightsthecaseofaruralnorth-eastChinesevillagewhereyouthlabourmobilityisamarriagestrategydeployedbyparentsandengagedinbyyoun

2、gpeoplegivenconstraintsoneducationandincomeinthecountryside.Whilesomeruralmothersandtheirdaugh-tersdomakethefairytaleof“marrying-up”intoanurbanhouseholdcometrue,formostruralyoungwomenmigrantstheself-orientedconsumptionthattheyareencouragedtopursuefreeofr

3、uraldomesticresponsibilitiessetsthemupforheartbreakwhentheyarebroughtbackforaruralmar-riage.Aslongasruralhouseholdsarelefttorelyonthe“insurance”oflandandayoungergenerationtoworkitandprovidelabourofdomesticsubsistence,theywillpullsons(andwivesforthem)back

4、tothecountryside,andtrytomarrydaughterstourbanhouseholdstoexpandtheirnetworkofsecurity.Thisnewtwistonanoldmanagerialstrategysetsupatragiccon-flict:youngmenareencouragedtoreturntothecountryside,whileyoungwomenarepushedtoprovidea“unitingbridge”intothecitya

5、nd,whentheyfail,arebroughtbacktothecountrysideformarriage.IftheexperiencesoffamiliesinHuangbaiyuvillagearenotananomalybutsignalabroadertrend,agenerationofreturneeyoungwomenwhoarefrustratedandangryinruralmarriagesandabandontheirhusbandsandparents-in-lawwi

6、lldramaticallyinfluencethefutureofChina’sdevelopment.Reportsof“emptyvillages”or“hollowvillages”(kongxincun空心村)inChina’svastcountrysidehavebecomethedefactonarrativecorollarytoChina’srapidurbanizationandseeminglyever-expandingmigrantlabourforce.Ifthecities

7、areteemingwithlabourersborninthecountrysidebuildingandservicingChina’smodernfuture,thenthevillagesmustbehollowedoutoflife,fullofabandonedhouseswheretheelderlyarelefttotendchildrenwhosecarewouldlimitthelabourpowerofChina’seconomicbackbone.Whatoncewasthemy

8、thicheartlandofMao’sChinahasbeenre-imaginedintheeraofitscapitalistboomasaplaceofabjectpoverty,littleopportunityandgeneralmisery.Whoevercan*UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.Email:smay@post.harvard.edu©TheChinaQuarterly,2010d