Gendered Phenomenon of Remigration Choice: A Case from China's Internal Migration

This paper explores the gendered dynamics of remigration within China’s internal migration, examining how societal expectations and institutional constraints shape remigration decisions for both genders, through a life-course lens. Traditional migration theories, primarily centred on economic motivations, overlook female migrants' distinct experiences, shaped by caregiving responsibilities and limited career mobility. Recent studies position migration as a gendered process, highlighting how gender interweaves with migration outcomes.

Drawing from 35 interviews with migrants and natives in Shanghai, this study explores how men and women experience contrasting trajectories in their remigration decisions. Male migrants often view return migration through an economic lens, driven by the desire to reduce the financial burden of family support in high-cost cities. In contrast, female migrants may find fewer economic opportunities but also experience less pressure to be the primary earners for their families, making it more feasible for them to remain in certain cities or relocate to other cities, and they are more likely to mitigate the disadvantages of non-local household registration (Hukou) status through marriage. However, women's bargaining power in the market is also shaped by their hukou statuses, which may impair their agency, especially for those higher SES groups. Caregiving duties, social expectations, and barriers to career advancement often push women toward returning to their hometowns.

Using a life-course perspective, the research highlights opportunities, challenges and expectations that differ across genders in different life stages, particularly before and after their first marriages. This approach reveals how gendered (in-)justice is experienced and navigated by migrants, showing both the reproduction of societal norms and the coping strategies, interweaved with institutional constraints of the hukou system, a form of civic stratification. This study contributes to understanding the intersection of gender and internal migration under China's unique social and institutional conditions.