SEMINAR: Children Living in Multi Local Families in Rural China - Preliminary Reflections on Gender Differences

Abstract - Over 61 million children have been left behind in the Chinese countryside while at least one parent and often, two parents work away from home long term. In this talk I draw on qualitative fieldwork carried out between 2010 and 2015 in Jiangxi and Anhui provinces to examine the role of study and school in these multi local families pursuit of social reproduction. I explore the ways in which both family and state interests in the attributes and prospects of the next generation converge in schools and education. I further explore how on a day to day basis, the labour of children in schools and the labour of parents in the cities intertwine in parent-child toiling teams. I additionally offer some preliminary thoughts on gender differences in childrens experiences of growing up in a multi-local parent-child toiling team.