Lai Sze TSO. www-personal.umich.edu/~ltso

Transcription

1 Lai Sze TSO www-personal.umich.edu/~ltso Department of Sociology Women s Studies Department Population Studies Center Room 3001 LSA Building 1122 Lane Hall University of Michigan 500 South State 204 S. State Street 426 Thompson Street Ann Arbor, MI Ann Arbor, MI Ann Arbor, MI EDUCATION University of Michigan, PhD Ann Arbor, MI Women s Studies and Sociology Joint PhD Expected July 2012 Population Studies Center Trainee Peking University Beijing, China Department of Sociology Nov 2007-July 2009 Visiting Student University of Michigan, MA Ann Arbor, MI Social Demography May 2006 Department of Sociology University of Pennsylvania, BA Philadelphia, PA Dual Majors: Asian and Middle Eastern Studies May 2002 & International Relations; Minor: Sociology Magna Cum Laude DISSERTATION DESCRIPTION Making it in China: How Rural Women Climb the Ladder. I study why young rural Chinese women migrate into urban areas to improve their lives. I conducted an ethnographic study of a village of 800 households in Northeast China, interviewing 40 young women between the ages of participating in migration between the years of Sampling participants based on locally defined SES categories, I interview women at different stages of the migration transition. These women leave home to participate in rural to urban migration in three primary ways; (1) through pursuing post-secondary education as students, (2) employment as migrant labor, (3) and marriage-cohabitation as a spouse or partner of someone already residing in an urban area. Women s preferences and choices about leaving home are influenced by beliefs about which migration options afford greater degrees of permanence, integration into urban society, and achievement of an image of modernity. My dissertation further addresses the relationship between familial origins and migration, education, employment, urban adaptation, and social mobility for rural women in China. TSO AUG 2011 Page 1

2 AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION AND TEACHING INTERESTS Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Social Psychology Sociology of Sexuality/ Sex and Gender Feminist Methods of Research Asia-Asian American / Contemporary Chinese Society Immigration/Migration and Women s Lives Family Demography Stratification/Mobility Rural-Urban Migration and Change in Rural Social Structures Comparative Study of Women s Social Roles in Developed and Developing Countries Ethnographic Methods and Oral Interviewing Qualitative Data Analysis Thesis, Grant, and Proposal Writing Applied Sociology/Evaluation Research Globalization and the Changing Nature of Jobs, Labor Markets, and Mobility in Developing Societies DEMOGRAPHICS US Citizenship, native English speaker, proficient in Mandarin Chinese WORKING PAPERS The Impact of Emerging Educational Opportunities on Rural Women's Identity and Migration Expectations in China. In China, educational attainment and achievement have historically been regarded as the preferred means of upward social mobility for men. Women are now turning to education to permanently change their life course trajectories and improve their social, economic, and marriage prospects. While this trend is further amplified in women s rural-to-urban migration, recent studies of global transformation in the roles and opportunities of women offer few theories about how rural women conceptualize their shifting identities based on educational pursuits or how their adaption of these identities affect their plans for leaving home to become education migrants. I contribute to this gendered discourse about education and mobility by using in-depth qualitative interviews from 40 young women between the ages of from one village in Hebei, China. In these interviews, women provide examples of their agency by discussing how education operates as a pathway for leaving home, evaluating their chances of succeeding as education migrants, and offering projects on how educational migration impacts decisions about major life events, such as timing and conditions of starting courtships, spouse selection, marriage, urban settlement, and childbearing. In expressing their thoughts about how education is the preferred way out of rural areas, women explain what is expected of them according to the contours of the traditional model of achievement, and what it means for them to create new images for themselves as modern women. TSO AUG 2011 Page 2

3 Leaving Home: How Household Socio-Economic Status Affects Women s Agency in Out- Migration from Rural China. China is currently experiencing one of the highest levels of internal migration in human history. Much of the recent research about the social changes brought about this massive movement have focused on examining women's work and living conditions at migration destination in urban areas. Few studies have been able to delve into how physical living conditions and economic circumstances at home initially influenced women's choices and resources for migration. I address this gap by (1) using population registers as a basis for establishing village hierarchy and household economic conditions, thereby contextualizing SES conditions for the whole village. In addition I use (2) archival data from household registers and migration records from 1998 to 2008, (3) informant interviews with local leadership, professionals, business leaders, and young women, and (4) firsthand observations of living conditions collected over 12 months of fieldwork in Hebei Province in North China to reconstruct the economic and social hierarchy for North River, a village of 3800 inhabitants. (5) Informant interviews then allow me to group village households into low, middle, and high social class categories according to definitions that have meaning to local residents. I then use photographs, interviews, and field observations to show how local conditions of social classes create meaning for women before they leave home as migrants. Focusing on women in the peak migrant ages of 18-28, I use the locally defined social hierarchy to see how women from low middle and high leave home as education, work, and marriage migrants. Analysis of migration records from 1998 to 2008 for women aged suggest women s individual agency in migration decision-making are influenced by the household conditions and social economic status before they leave home; women from high social class tend to leave home for educational opportunities, while women from low social class tend to leave home for work. Migration, Job Satisfaction, and Transition to Adulthood: How Social Class Matters in Strategies about Work and the Articulation of Agency. In recent years, research on the rural-to-urban migration of young women in China has uncovered that young Chinese women demonstrate agency by leaving rural villages for urban employment. This trend is marked different from past practices of unmarried daughters being pushed into labor migration by household circumstances and sending remittances to support their natal households. Women are now choosing to take jobs in urban areas in order to experience independence and transition into work and adulthood away from the purview of their parents. I extend the discourses on the transition to work and transition to adulthood of rural women in developing countries by interviewing 40 young migrant women between the ages of from low, middle, and high social classes in one village in Hebei, China. In my interviews, women discuss how they view and weigh the economic opportunities that working in urban areas afford them, their strategies for developing skills, learning a trade, or establishing a career trajectory, and how they reflect upon their own abilities and self-image based on their achievements as workers. My findings suggest that women and their families perceive a hierarchy of jobs; this hierarchy emphasizes work conditions based on their social class. Women s perceptions further influence the types of jobs they are willing to work. Women of TSO AUG 2011 Page 3

4 high and middle social class backgrounds look for employment with training for skills and knowledge, are articulate and positive about their work, and strategize about turning their work into a career or occupation as a means of economic support for later life. Women from low social class backgrounds tend to look for work with the highest pay, often end up working jobs that offer minimal training or career development but higher pay because of long work hours and difficult work conditions, and articulate low job satisfaction because of poor work conditions, work environments, and bleak career development. Depleting Rural Talent: How Are Rural Adolescents Being Funneled into Urban Employment in China? This paper focuses on the influence of parental expectation on post-graduation plans of youths living with families as migrants in urban cities. Based on a comparison of pilot study of individuals living in rural Liaoning, and China Population Development Research Center data of eight urban cities in China, I juxtapose findings from these data with a pilot study of rural nonmigrants conducted in villages in Liaoning province in Northeast China. Results indicate that in migrant families, parental expectations are significantly associated with post-graduation for youth s plans in continued schooling, remaining in city to work, returning to village, or considering other options. Using Surnames to Understand Marriage Patterns and Community Dynamics during the Qing Dynasty. Descriptive research based on historical dataset of the Banner population of Northeast China, with analysis of marital male and female surname distribution, and ratios by village and region. Do Social Networks, Contacts, and Participation Impact Psychological Health? Research based on 2002 Detroit Area Study. Results indicated that for adults, having relatives living in the same state, and maintaining contact with them, is associated with high levels of psychological distress. FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS, AND ACADEMIC HONORS Fulbright Hays Department of Education, Doctoral Dissertation Grant, National Science Foundation, Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, Rockefeller Student Travel Grant, Social Science History Association, 2005 Rackham Merit Fellow, University of Michigan Population Studies Center, NICHD Trainee Grant, University of Michigan FLAS Summer Funding, Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan Dept. of Sociology, Research, Travel, and Block Grants, University of Michigan McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program, University of Pennsylvania, International Relations Honor Society, University of Pennsylvania, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Pennsylvania, Adele Undergraduate Student Paper (Chinese Studies) University of Pennsylvania, 2002 Bruce Oliver Newsome Student Leadership Award, University of Pennsylvania, 2002 Mayor s Scholars Program, University of Pennsylvania, Phi Beta Kappa, University of Pennsylvania Chapter, 2002 TSO AUG 2011 Page 4

5 RESEARCH EXPERIENCE/ APPOINTMENT Population Studies Center (PSC), Institute for Social Research (ISR), University of Michigan, NICHD Trainee Ann Arbor Present United States Department of Education, Fulbright Scholar Sept 2006-Dec 2008 James Lee (UM) and Cameron Campbell (UCLA), Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) University of Michigan, Research Assistant Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program Beijing, China Researcher Trainee June-September 2001 Janice F. Madden, Regional Science, Sociology, and Real Estate Philadelphia, PA University of Pennsylvania, Research Assistant September Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program Philadelphia, PA University of Pennsylvania, Researcher May Research Topic: Working Class Opinions toward Education TEACHING EXPERIENCE Sole Instructor, University of Michigan Department of Sociology: Introduction to Sociology Summer 2010 Graduate Student Instructor, University of Michigan Women s Studies Department: Sexuality in Western Culture Fall 2011 Department of Sociology: Sociology of Sexuality Winter 2010 Introduction to Sociology Fall 2009 Seniors Honor Thesis in Sociology Fall Introduction to Social Psychology Winter 2005 Introduction to Social Research Fall 2004 Graduate Student Instructor, University of Michigan Luce Foundation Project in China, Beijing, Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWG): Feminist Research Methodology Summer 2004 TSO AUG 2011 Page 5

6 CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS Developing a Hierarchy of Work in Developing Economies: Why Class Interaction Influences Employment Choices of Chinese Women Migrants. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Las Vegas, Nevada, August The Impact of Emerging Educational Opportunities on Rural Women's Identity and Migration Expectations in China. Paper presented at the Joint Conference of Association for Asian Studies and International Convention of Asian Scholars, Honolulu, Hawaii, March Leaving Home: How Household Socio-Economic Status Affects Women s Agency in Out- Migration from Rural China. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Social Science History Association, Long Beach, California, Education and Agency: The Preferred Pathway to Mobility and Migration in China. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Social Science History Association, Long Beach, California, Migration, Job Satisfaction, and Transition to Adulthood: How Social Class Matters in Strategies about Work and the Articulation of Agency. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Social Science History Association, Long Beach, California, Depleting Rural Talent: How Are Rural Adolescents Being Funneled into Urban Employment in China? Paper presented at annual meeting of Social Science History Association, Portland, Oregon, Using Surnames to Understand Marriage Patterns and Community Dynamics during the Qing Dynasty. Paper presented at the annual meeting of Midwest Conference of Asian Affairs, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Do Social Networks, Contacts, and Participation Impact Psychological Health? Poster presented at the annual meeting of Population Association of America, Boston, Massachusetts, Marriage and Surname Patterns in Bannerman Villages in Liaoning during the Qing Dynasty. Poster presented at the annual meeting of Social Science History Association, St. Louis, Missouri, TSO AUG 2011 Page 6

7 COURSES TAKEN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Sociology: Statistics-Introduction to Statistics as in Social Science Research (2002) Research Logic-The Logic of Sociological Research (2002) Theory and Practice- Survey of sociological theories, practice, and research (2004) Social Demography: Social Demography-Introduction to the Themes and Methods (2002) Seminar on Detroit Area Studies: Rise of Network Society-Planning a Survey (2002) Practicum in Survey Research-Conducting Surveys and Collecting Data (2003) Statistical Methods-Advanced Methods for Social Science Research (2003) Research Methods in Population Ecology-Methods in Social Demography (2003) Research Seminar in Social Demography-Forum for Student Research (2004) Historical Demography of the Family-Factors of Change and of Patterns of Family Formation (2004) Women s Studies: Feminism, Gender, and Chinese Modernity-Survey Reading Course of Women s Roles and Place (2003) Introduction to Graduate Studies- Discourse on Theories, Practice, and Research in Women s Studies (2004) Theories of Feminism-Themes and Discourses for Feminist Studies (2004) Approaches to Feminist Scholarship in the Social Sciences-Methods for evaluating and conducting Feminist Research in the Social Science Disciplines (2005) Feminist Scholarship for Women of Color-Theories and Practices for Understanding and Capturing Narratives and Experiences of Women of Color (2005) Citizenship Embodied-Meaning of Civil Membership for Minorities in Mainstream society (2005) Women and Work-Research about Relationship between Women s Work, Status, and Problems and Achievement in the Workplace (2005) Chinese Studies: Social Scientific Studies of Historical and Contemporary China-Problems, Theories, Methods, Data, and Research (2003) Modern Chinese Society-Survey Course of Social Structures and Recent History (2004) TSO AUG 2011 Page 7

8 FURTHER RESEARCH INTERESTS Love and the Ladder-Choices about the Practicality of Mate Selection. Focusing on how women migrant define success, the meaning of love, desired mate characteristics, and how these schemas intersect in how women balance the pursuit of love versus following practical steps for achieving upward mobility. Cult of Beauty in China-Why Cosmetics, Clothes, and Coy Behavior Matters in Climbing the Ladder. Focuses on how and why young rural women develop their sense of fashion, dress, and presentation as a means of urban adaptation, with particular focus on uncovering the models and schemas for desired characteristics and attributes they feel are necessary to become desirable marriage or cohabitation candidates. Better Centers for Better Jobs? Focusing on evaluation of job centers that offer employment information to young men and women looking for contacts, information, and job descriptions for urban employment. Exploration of policy implications for improving job centers that offer services to facilitate urban adaptation through better employment and work conditions. Night School, Second Chances, and the Segmented Labor Market in China Explores how Chinese women perceive possible opportunities for their work and life if they take night and weekend non-academic courses and accreditation courses as a platform for changing careers or seeking promotion in the segmented labor market. TSO AUG 2011 Page 8

9 INVITED LECTURES The Impact of Emerging Educational Opportunities on Rural Women's Identity and Migration Expectations in China Seminar on Women and Gender-Women in China. April Women s Studies Department, University of Michigan. Internal Rural to Urban Migration in Contemporary China UM-PKU Joint Institute; University of Michigan/Peking University Summer Undergraduate Exchange in Chemistry 2007, 2008, 2009; Global Intercultural Exchange for Undergraduates in China 2008 (University of Michigan) REFERENCES Pam Smock, Professor of Sociology, Women s Studies, Population Studies Center, University of Michigan, pjsmock@umich.edu Mary Corcoran, Professor of Political Science, Women Studies, Public Policy, University of Michigan, marycor@umich.edu Muge Gocek, Associate Professor of Sociology, Women s Studies, University of Michigan gocek@umich.edu Wang Zheng, Associate Professor of History and Women s Studies, University of Michigan wangzhen@umich.edu Luis Sfeir-Younis, Lecturer in Sociology, University of Michigan, lsfeir@umich.edu TSO AUG 2011 Page 9