Meaning-Making of Motherhood among Rural-to-Urban Migrant Chinese Mothers of Left-Behind Children

Are There Any Differences in the Work Experiences of Local and Rural-to-Urban Migrant Female Factory Workers? An Exploratory Study in Guangzhou, China

“…Lastly, there were no significant differences in organizational commitment between migrant and local workers. In view of this result, it becomes relevant to consider how after marriage and pregnancy, most migrant female workers tend to return to their hometowns to care for their newborns for a short period of time [44]. Eventually, they would leave their children and hometowns to return to the city to work in order to financially support their families [44].…”

“…In view of this result, it becomes relevant to consider how after marriage and pregnancy, most migrant female workers tend to return to their hometowns to care for their newborns for a short period of time [44]. Eventually, they would leave their children and hometowns to return to the city to work in order to financially support their families [44]. The separation from their children and family is a likely source of intense negative emotions for these female workers, so many migrant female workers would eventually return to their hometowns to seek out job opportunities or even start their own businesses [45].…”

Parental self‐esteem, parent–child relationships, and authoritative parenting of Chinese migrant parents of left‐behind children: Implications for social policy and services

“…Moreover, migrant mothers’ perceived parent‐child relationship quality moderated the positive association between parental self‐esteem and authoritative parenting. The results indicate that while parental self‐esteem was a significant predictor of parenting practices, parents’ perception of their encounters and interactions with their children may have a greater influence on their parenting behaviors (To et al, ). This is because a long period of separation can have a tremendous detrimental effect on the parent–child relationship.…”

“…This may explain why migrant mothers who feel competent as a parent are less likely to adopt authoritative parenting if they experience a poorer parent–child relationship. On the contrary, when migrant parents maintain enriching experiences in connecting and interacting with their children, they will have a higher tendency to adopt more nurturing parenting practices by using creative methods, such as mobile phone parenting, to give emotional nurturance and positive guidance to their children (To et al, ). In this light, enhancing the accessibility of communication technologies in rural areas, as well as equipping migrant parents, kin caregivers, and left‐behind children with the necessary knowledge and skills to use smartphones effectively and safely, can enable migrant parents and their children to enjoy virtual parent‐child interactions.…”

“…Through these interactions, parents consolidate and integrate all the parenthood experiences that they have undergone and nurture their parental self‐esteem derived from these experiences. Adopting a symbolic interactionist perspective of parental identity, the findings of a qualitative study conducted by To, So, and Kwok () on 30 Chinese migrant mothers showed that migrant mothers’ perceived mother–child relationship quality has a great influence on their self‐evaluation. Specifically, while migrant mothers’ sense of parental competence was beneficial to their engagement in performing their maternal roles, their sense of parental competence was also affected by the feedback loops by which the mother–child relationship quality is experienced and maintained.…”