Socio-Economic Inequality

Question 1

Factors

Answer 1

• Income / Employment
• Health / Access to Social Security / Disability Benefits / General Benefits
• Housing
• Education

Question 2

Income / Employment

Answer 2

• Income is kept at a subsistence level
• Cost of living is very high (Shanghai)
• 2012 – 7.7% of migrant workers are unemployed – national unemployment rate of approximately 4%
• Slow employment growth
• Low wages in countryside
• Migration was not legalised until early 1980s
• This creates:
  - Longer working hours
  - Non-existent work-life balance
  - Negative effect on relationships / balance
• Depression = higher among migrant workers
• However, things may be improving
  - 2021 – wages increased considerably to roughly 4,432 yuan (2x wages in 2011)

Question 3

Health / Social Security

Answer 3

• Hukou card
• Benefits:
  - Health insurance
  - Retirement allowance
  - Unemployment insurance
  - Maternity benefits
  - Work insurance
  - Housing fund
• Many who migrate to cities do so w/out permission – this means:
  - No free education
  - No medical services
  - No social services
• It is possible to change Hukou status, but it is risky:
  - Land rights in rural areas would be lost
  - It is expensive
  - It takes a long time
  - It could be a temporary move
  - There could be a strong connection to home
• 2021 = ‘Common Prosperity Initiative’ launched
• CPI = national strategy to lift the poor & crack down on businesses gaining so much wealth

Question 4

Housing

Answer 4

• Hukou card
• Mass migration -> housing shortage
• Guangzhou – pop grew (5.98 mil, 2010 – 2020)
• Migrant workers:
  - no support system
  - social security (up to 5yrs payment) (eased in 33 cities)
• Shanghai / Beijing = unwilling to relax -> keep housing market down
• Dorms
• 55% of mig workers owned living space of less than 10 sq metres)

Question 5

Education

Answer 5

• Mig parents move – higher salary
• Children left w/ grandparents
• Hukou card:
  - Childcare
  - Family planning benefits
• No routine / security for children – cannot cope
• Lack of consistent learning / skills