Rural to urban migration
Rural to urban migration is people’s movement from rural areas to urban areas (Su et al., 2018). People migrate based on various reasons and prevailing conditions. Migration affects people and families with social, economic and demographic characteristics. The movement of people from rural to urban areas is a common incident in China. This research paper looks into the history of rural to urban migration and the problems and the benefits related. It also highlights the future outlook of rural to urban migration in China.
“According to a report by the China National Bureau of Statistics, about 44% of young Chinese citizens urban immigrants are employed in manufacturing industries compared to about 30% of the past generation” (Su et al., 2018). Rural to urban migration is viewed as a response to better employment opportunities and economic development. However, (Su et al., 2018) adds that most of the migrants are young and inexperienced in the agricultural sector and city life. With this, they end up facing a variety of challenges. After limited schooling, migration causes the migrants to face high pressure at work, poor wages, hesitant self-identification, and a general lack of happiness.
(Su et al., 2018) states that a survey was conducted to evaluate the primary and secondary reasons behind rural to urban migration. In the interview, each migrant was asked why they first decided to leave the village. According to the responses, some migrated due to the village’s harsh economic conditions, while the city’s excitement pulled some. Being tired of schooling was a frequent answer to the primary reason for migrating. Most of the interviewees said they had little interest in school and decided to seek employment in urban cities. Some interviewees’ secondary reason was that they could not pay for schooling, which pushed them to seek employment instead. As painted by the respondents, another reason for migration was to attend training institutions to improve their knowledge and skills in computer, sewing and construction. Most training schools liaise to provide employment and educate rural students. Other respondents mentioned their attraction to city life and broadcast, especially from earlier migrants who had returned to the village. They highlighted their desire for lavish items and materials that were available to urban residents. However, a few of them shared a gush of wanting to migrate for fun. They emphasized their boredom in the village life and pursuit from strict parents. In the same perspective, respondents were asked to explain their migration history and choose their desired locations in the urban areas. The responses from this were compound and consisted of many non-economic reasons. The major reason for shifting jobs was unfair treatment by the administration, overworking, getting insufficient pay and a desire to learn new techniques.
There are four social migration patterns that most migrants follow based on their job hunting methods, educational achievement and social media usage (Su et al., 2018). First, the career builders group work independently in seeking jobs, have a high level of education, and quickly gather professional skills and knowledge during the migration process. Additionally, they promote their career development by tending to stay within the same business. They also emit a high frequency and can support most of their family’s financial burdens. This group is the core type because they are aware of the opportunities present to them. They are the most efficient group as career managers. This makes them be seen as the potential elite group in China. Second, the family helper group tends to live a hard life in the city because they send every cent back to their villages. Earning, remitting and saving money is their main behavior because economic motivation is their main reason for migration. Most immigrants of this group have stable jobs and usually migrate with someone they already know. They migrate to earn higher salaries and better working conditions. The Spring Festival in China, which is usually on the 23rd of January every year, is common. A large number of migrants leave the cities to return to villages. However, they are not the bread earners for their families but often depend on the family’s financial needs at home. Those with heavy family needs tend to engage in illegal activities or may have more than one job so they can remit as much as possible.
The other social immigrant pattern is the emotional explorers who migrate to urban areas to enjoy city life. Unlike the family helpers group, they rarely remit funds to their families back at home because most of their salaries are channeled into sustaining the urban lifestyle they want. The Emotional explorers’ group change jobs randomly in the realm of either alleviating boredom or following friends. The Lost followers’ group is the last migration pattern. Fewer migrants fall into the category of lost followers. Most people in this category are likely to be too young to have fallen into the previous three patterns. They mostly follow relatives or friends when they migrate. They are usually unprepared, not knowledgeable enough to protect themselves, and since they are not under the umbrella of their friend and relatives, their journey may be dangerous. Migrants in this category may be illiterate enough to lack important documents. They also lack enough experience and may not know what to do in case of trouble. They may be the reason for increased crime rates in the city.
Recently, there are more problems associated with rural to urban migration in comparison to the benefits. First, rural to urban migration in China has resulted in the deterioration of urban environments. Urban slums are the main residential for rural to urban migrants. For instance, Dhaka city contains more than 3.4 million people in 4996 slums (Su et al., 2018). Overcrowding of people in these slums has created pressure on the physical and social infrastructures. It also results in low standards of living, especially among poor people. The rural people are poorer compared to urban residents. They put themselves in helpless conditions because they cannot afford the urban life. Nevertheless, environmental, political and social problems are the major significances created. The state of infrastructure in these slums is inadequate and unable to keep up with the growing pressure.
Shortage of housing facilities is a prevailing situation in China’s urban areas due to the rapid increase of rural to urban migrants. This results in the widespread of squatters and slums in cities. According to (Su et al., 2018), most of Dhaka’s metropolitans are occupied by the slum population. They are mostly developed in Demra, Mirpur and Mohammadpur (Su et al., 2018). These slums are mostly occupied by rural migrants who come to urban areas in search of jobs. Lack of better salaries compels them to live in harsh conditions, leaving them without shelters pushing them to the point of living in the slums.
Additionally, these slums are mostly single rooms for the whole family, making the environment unhealthy and highly congested. Slums in Dhaka city are temporary structures and can be found on low-lying areas on the edges of lakes, rivers, near railway lines or on roadsides. This is the main reason for the spread of waterborne diseases. The situation for these slums indicates horrible living characterized by poor ventilation and lighting.
Additionally, rural to urban migration harms agricultural production in China. Labor migration from rural to urban areas is the main transformation for Agriculture. Most of the high-quality land that was used for cultivation has been turned into industrial areas. The migration of young laborers places a huge burden on farmers in rural areas. For farmers to cover the same land area, they tend to seek extra assistance and sometimes work for longer hours. This deprives their time for relaxation and participation in other activities. Currently, the stage of agricultural development in China is labor-intensive because most of the non-disabled men who should till the land have unrestrained their work in farms and engaged in urban activities.
Despite the problems associated with rural to urban migration highlighted above, there are positive impacts related to the same. First, rural to urban migration is the driving force of economic development and industrialization in China. Migration affects the labor supply, as it increases workers in different sectors of the economy. In the same concept, migration increases the labor demand because migrants expand consumer demand for goods and services. However, rural to urban migration increases competition for available jobs in several occupational sectors.
Additionally, migration also expands the demand for labor, thus creating new jobs. Migrants expand the demand for consumer goods and services, causing them to increase production in sectors where labor is used. However, it also depends on the levels of skills for the migrants. For instance, the migration of skilled personnel increases invention and innovation and the adoption of new technology.
Secondly, rural to urban migration has increased the cultural diversity of the Chinese people. The Chinese people’s cultural diversity has showcased itself in terms of language, music, dance, cuisine, sculpture, and more. Rural to urban migration has caused an evolution in Chinese culture in forms such as clothing, food, art and calligraphy. This internal migration has resulted in a rich magnificence such that many foreign people flock to China to view the incredible collection of art.
Third, rural to urban migration has a positive educational impact on children in China. Most developed schools are located in urban areas. Therefore, children, especially in middle school and universities, move to these schools to attain better performance. These schools offer both curricular and inter-curricular programs, unlike many schools in the rural areas. In Chinese students, they get to learn more foreign languages such as English and Spanish. Additionally, students with low learning skills enroll in extra-curricular activities such as sports. In this case, the career paths for many Chinese students become nurtured.
Rural to urban migration commenced in the 1950s (Su et al., 2018). Since then, there have been trends during the period of 1949 and mid-1980s. Data obtained from a survey conducted in 1986 for 76 urban areas shows that about 23895 families and 1643 households had moved from rural to urban areas. Non-farmers were excluded from the total number of migrants. They included high school graduates and government officials sent to urban areas during the Cultural Revolution. The sample had 53.3% of men, whose average age was 23.1 years. About half the totals were married at the migration time. The average educational attainment for persons below 15 years was 5.98 years. Some of the primary reasons for moving included work recruitment, college attendance and family reunion. The rate of migration increased rapidly between 1945 and 1985. Between 1949 and 1955, approximately two hundred people migrated each year. During 1955 and 1958, the number of migrants increased by 10 %. During the famine in 1959 and 1961, the migration dropped, which was the lowest point of migration. The year 1958 was the modest point of rural-urban migration in the country. Between the years 1962 and 1964, migration was low, while during the Cultural Revolution in 1967 and 1968, migration decreased by 200. During the years 1970 and 1971, the number of migrants rose to over 400 until 1979, where the number increased to 576. The modest migration occurred between the years 1984 and 1985, where the number increased to 832.
China has experienced rapid urbanization due to the increased number of people living in urban areas. “To understand the future of migration, immigration agencies have partnered to examine the possible outcomes for the future of migration in China” (Su et al., 2018). Researchers have pioneered an innovative method that relies on economic and demographic data. The researchers forecast a shortfall in migration. It is predicted that in the next twenty years, the number of people who will be living in cities will increase from 20% to 50% (Su et al., 2018). China will experience the largest rural to urban migration in history. The main reason for the predicted increase in rural to urban migration is looking for employment opportunities with better salaries and wages.
In conclusion, rural to urban migration in China has more negative than positive implications. It is unbearable to look into the positive effects of this concept. However, positive approaches can be developed in regard to economic development and industrialization. This state of affairs can be converted into a positive implication by taking into account that rural to urban migration is an opportunity to instrument agricultural policies in rural areas.
References
Su, Y., Tesfazion, P., & Zhao, Z. (2018). Where are the migrants from? Inter-vs. Intra-provincial rural-urban migration in China. China Economic Review, 47, 142-155.