Demographics

Understanding the issues faced by families with children in China’s floating population, in many ways can be helped along by studies outlining the demographics within the floating population that in fact statistically have the most successful experiences with transitioning from rural origins to urban lives and why.  These demographics include “younger unmarried females, better educated non-production workers and those with non-agricultural Hukou-household residency status” (Zhu and Chen, 2010).  These demographics within the floating population are also more readily accepted as either temporary migrant workers not seeking permanent residency or more desirable due to possessing an educated expertise (Roberts, 2002) (Zhu and Chen, 2010).  Therefore, temporary unmarried migrant workers posses both the advantage of not having to seek permanent housing or confront the unwelcoming attitudes of established Chinese urbanites towards migrants seeking official urban residency status (Zhu and Chen, 2010).  As outlined by Yu Zhu and Wenzhe Chen, in "The Settlement Intention of China's Floating Population in the Cities: Recent Changes and Multifaceted Individual-Level Determinants,” “given the unstable nature of employment, the low wage levels and the low level of social insurance for migrants in the cities, choosing a temporary form of migration and leaving part of the family in the hometown is often desirable for most members of the floating population (Zhu and Chen, 2010).