Should I stay or should I go? Job demands' push and entrepreneurial resources' pull in Chinese migrant workers' return-home entrepreneurial intention

This study utilized the concept of social right to understand factors affecting migrant workers’ health and healthcare in China. Using mixed methods, this study integrated findings from a survey of 817 migrant workers and a follow-up study of 30 intensive interviews to present an in-depth understanding of cumulative disadvantage of health and healthcare of rural-to-urban migrant workers. Our quantitative results indicated that migrant workers with no more than 5 years of working experience and having a good relationship with employers were 65% and 72.8% more likely to report good self-rated health as compared to their counterparts; those with work-related injury experience and low income were 41.6% and 53.6% less likely to report good self-rated health. Qualitative findings revealed the social contexts of the cumulative effect of the length of work experience and fear of medical cost on migrant workers’ declining health. Even though the participation rate for health insurance in China is reported to be over 99%, the lack of portability in health insurance and different reimbursement rates in health care access are structural barriers in health-seeking behaviors among Chinese migrant workers and in establishing sustainability in China’s healthcare system. This study adds to the literature by delineating the process of the unequal access to social rights in general, healthcare in particular as the major explanation for migrant workers’ poor health beyond the surface of China’s universal healthcare.

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An Exploratory Study on Death Anxiety among the Aged Migrant Workers -Focused on Korean-Chinese migrant workers-

Korean Journal of Gerontological Social Welfare ◽

10.21194/kjgsw..50.201012.95 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol null (50) ◽

pp. 95-122

Author(s):

Kughee Woo ◽

이연순 ◽

한일숙 ◽

김종례 ◽

김한호

Keyword(s):

Migrant Workers ◽

Exploratory Study ◽

Death Anxiety ◽

Korean Chinese ◽

Chinese Migrant Workers

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Chinese Migrant Workers: Rights Attainment Deficits, Rights Consciousness and Personal Strategies

The China Quarterly ◽

10.1017/s0305741011001044 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 208 ◽

pp. 870-892 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Linda Wong

Keyword(s):

Migrant Workers ◽

Occupational Status ◽

Sample Survey ◽

Way Of Life ◽

Ongoing Debate ◽

Large Sample ◽

Gender Education ◽

Research Findings ◽

Chinese Migrant Workers ◽

Rights Consciousness

AbstractDagong 打工 as a way of life gives rise to many abuses and rights violations against China's 200 million migrant workers. This article analyses the intricate issues of rights deprivation, rights consciousness and personal strategies of Chinese migrant workers with the research findings from a large sample survey completed at the end of 2005. The data confirm the occurrence of many types of rights abuses, significant levels of rights consciousness, and preference for legal and institutionalized means for rights defence besides the use of private resources. Furthermore, the findings reveal that the experience of discrimination, consciousness of rights and choice of personal strategies are affected by personal backgrounds like age, gender, education and occupational status before migration, which carry implications for policy. Finally, the article comments on the ongoing debate about “rights consciousness” versus “rules consciousness” in contentious Chinese politics.

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