Conclusion

In assessing the reality of the information provided above it becomes quite clear that the welfare and social mobility of families with children in China’s floating populations are the most highly disadvantaged and put at risk by current government policies afflicting this population as a whole.  As outlined by Mariko Silver in “Rural Migrants and the Evolving Urban Labor Market in China,” the legacy of China’s hukou system and economic shifts brought by government policies implementing marketization are the driving force behind the current circumstances faced by China’s floating population.  Yet as Chinese migrant families face the extra demands placed on securing healthcare coupled with the burden of low wages, its becomes quite clear that the welfare of their children and family unit are at immense risk compared to individuals who may more easily navigate such issues (Pumin, 2010).

Facing the reality of providing for a family with such income setbacks in job markets that also present numerous roadblocks to advancement creates a seriously added debilitating factor in attempts to move up the economic ladder (Pumin 2010).  For parents the reality of working such long hours as well, once again represents a concerning reality for participation in daily family life.  So here we see the family being hit from two angles, insufficient funds to participate in providing advancing opportunities for the family and in turn insufficient time participate in the daily occurrence that is family life (Pumin 2010) .

Above all the issue in this research that I find the most detrimental to the welfare and social mobility of migrant families with children is the lack of educational opportunities for migrant children.  Without access to recognized equitable education for their children, families in the floating population are essentially being denied access to any opportunities of social mobility (Irwin 2000).  Not enough money to climb the economic ladder, not enough time to enjoy family life or partake in extra fund raising ventures and no sufficient educational opportunities for the next generation of a family all equal one thing Irwin (2000) (Pumin 2010).  Families in China’s floating population have very little if any opportunities for social and economic mobility period.