The Patriarchal Trap: The Village Wives Left Behind Amid Chinese Rural–Urban Migration

Abstract

Rural–urban migration has profoundly changed the traditional social structure and family relationships in China over the past 40 years. The goal of this study is to investigate the gender relationships between left-behind wives and migrant husbands in the context of Chinese rural–urban migration. Former studies have emphasized the importance of gender stratification in migration, demonstrating that the experiences of migrant women differ from those of migrant men. This study, however, shifts the focus onto left-behind wives, a vulnerable group in the countryside, whose husbands have migrated to a city. It examines the outcomes of Chinese rural–urban migration with regard to gender in a small Chinese village, which has been termed as the “patriarchal trap.” It finds that the disadvantaged position of wives left behind in rural migrant families is reflected in the following aspects. Firstly, the decision-making progress concerning migration and the discussions between rural wives and migrant husbands prior to undertaking migration reveals the dominant role played by rural men in taking such decisions with wives as passive participants. Secondly, despite the increase in responsibility, left-behind wives are still economically and psychologically dependent on their migrant husbands. Their wish to stay with their husbands often strengthens the gender stratification of their experiences. Thirdly, the gender difference between rural wives and migrant husbands is manifested in their differing attitudes toward and conceptualization of extramarital relationships, which reveals the privilege of migrant husbands and the vulnerability of their rural wives. The findings call for Chinese society to devote more attention to the issue of left-behind wives and provide more care to this vulnerable group in rural China.