Masculine Compromise: Migration, Family, and Gender in China

by Susanne Yuk-Ping Choi, Yinni Peng

Drawing on the life stories of 266 migrants in South China, Choi and Peng examine the effect of mass rural-to-urban migration on family and gender relationships, with a specific focus on changes in men and masculinities. They show how migration has forced migrant men to renegotiate their roles as lovers, husbands, fathers, and sons. They also reveal how migrant men make masculine compromises: they strive to preserve the gender boundary and their symbolic dominance within the family by making concessions on marital power and domestic division of labor, and by redefining filial piety and fatherhood. The stories of these migrant men and their families reveal another side to China’s sweeping economic reform, modernization, and grand social transformations.

200 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2016

Reviews

[Ashelee Yang · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a clear disjuncture between the main argument (impact of rural-to-urban migration) and their evidence (interviews with male migrant workers). Trying to fit everything in the rural/urban dichotomy and consequently neglect broader structural changes like generation shifts, cultural diffusions, one-child policies... etc. No temporal order and highly spurious. Do not recommend.

[Wenshi Gao · Rating 5 out of 5]

农村男性在21世纪终于得到劳动密集型行业的需求，同时在宽松政策下纷纷涌入城市。尽管他在城市经历了心灵需求上的爱情，但婚姻上选择一位能照顾父母，又“当妈式付出”照顾自己和小孩、给自己面子的女性做妻子。但是当需要女性的收入，导致妻子一起进城务工，此时对他付出最多的父母往往承担照顾孙辈，又自食其力不需要经济援助。农村男性看似得到了整个家庭最大的支持，然而其缺少技术导致收入不高，城市消费太高消费诱惑太多，部分男性在城市的工作往往不能回馈其家庭付出。因此在收入低于妻子情况下，部分会放下所谓男子气概，表面与妻子分担家务，却绝不承认。在下一代教育方面由于经济、政策限制，与小孩情感分离。有一些成功的在县城购买了房子给小孩结婚生子。看完书，觉得农村社会对于男性结婚生子的支持动力相当大，同时选择照顾父母自己孩子的妻子又是利好，感觉要让农村男性理解个体需求才是放弃肥肉。

[Dong Luo · Rating 3 out of 5]

妥协？妥协啥了？男性不要成天在那里说“父权制下底层男性也有苦衷了，”真的特别倒胃口好吗。你把妻子死死束缚在乡村里，让她必须死心塌地照顾你的父母“你的”孩子，然后你在外面打工，期间可以出入娱乐场所和别人拍拖，觉得自己找妓女解决性需求是理所应当的事；一年回家几天还要你妻子给你撑面子，要孩子跟你亲近，要父母原谅你在家庭中的缺席，然后你们说父权制度也伤害了你们。为什么我要给“你的”打引号呢，孩子是女人十个月怀的然后生的，然后许多孩子是由母亲一把手带大或是祖父母带大，女人在家里照顾所有人还要料理家务事男的还想着可以让女人家出去打工赚两份钱。异性恋婚姻制度说白了就是彻头彻尾异性恋男性吃干抹净女性价值，敲骨吸髓般压榨女性，那些在调查中消失的女性，那些在乡村中默默守着日子的女性，她们才是妥协与无奈

[Monette Cortez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was well written. They had a lot of references for their data. It was good to learn about how changes are slowly coming to China within the family unit. I will keep this in my library.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

以男性农民工群体为研究对象的小论文。在城乡迁移为家庭和性别协商创造出的新情境中，男性农民工一面坚持维护父权制的两大基础——父系族氏和从夫居，但对传统的“男主外女主内”则采取妥协退让的态度。不过这种“具体的男性气质的妥协是实用主义的产物，而非文化价值观念变迁的结果。……与这些妥协相关联的性别平等方面的改善可能是短期的”。