Well-being of migrant and left-behind children in China: Education, health, parenting, and personal values

Abstract

Over the last several decades of urbanization and industrialization, China has encountered mass labor force migration from rural to urban areas. As a result, two-child populations have dramatically increased in number: so-called left-behind children and migrant children. Using data from the 2006 and 2009 China Nutrition and Health Surveys, this study examined the effects of parental migration and residency status on the education, health, parenting, and personal values of children, with particular focus on left-behind and migrant children. The findings suggest that parental migration and residency status play important roles in the educational and health outcomes, parental supervision, and personal values of children. Through analyzing the differences and possible reasons for disparate outcomes among child populations, this study aimed to improve public understanding of migrant and left-behind children's well-being in China, and explore implications for future studies and welfare policy making. Key Practitioner Message: {filled circle} Help to identify the impact of migration on individual, family, and the society domestically and internationally; {filled circle} Provide implications for welfare policy making, program design, and service delivery for migrant populations; {filled circle} Explore the approaches to addressing migration-related issues in different countries with internal and transnational migrant populations. © 2015 The Author(s) International Journal of Social Welfare