Living Arrangements of Migrants' Left-Behind Children in China

Lin Guo, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)

The rise of internal migration (also known as floating population) in China has greatly stimulated researchers’ interest in studying trends and the characteristics of this population as well as its role in China’s economic transformations. Recent estimates suggest as many as 23 million children are left behind in migrant-sending regions while their parents are away working. The absence of working parents may bring both short-term and long-term (negative) consequences for children left behind. CHNS data (2006) is used to examine the effect of family member’s migration behavior on children’s well-being in China, with particular attention to left-behind children's household living arrangements. Two types of children will be compared in this study: children for whom at least one parent migrated and children whose parents are at home. The variables of interest for children include their demographic and household characteristics, such as age/gender, urban/rural status, regional differences, as well as socio-economic status.