Educational Status of Temporary Migrant Children in China: Determinants and Regional Variations

Yao Lu, University of California, Los Angeles

This paper examines the educational status of temporary migrant children in China, using a unique data set specifically designed for studying the migrant child population and which covers a wide range of migration destinations. I study the determinants of migrant children’s schooling at both the micro-level (child and family level characteristics) and macro-level (city-level contexts), and use multiple measures of educational status to provide a more comprehensive picture. Emphasis has been placed on city-level variations associated with distinct levels of socioeconomic development and migration controls. Results show that in migrant families, there tends to be less gender bias regarding children’s education. Household composition, parent’s reasons for migration and family economic conditions are all strong predictors of migrant children’s schooling. Importantly, variations across destination-specific contexts are evident: migrant children in more developed coastal regions and in destinations with high concentrations of migrants tend to be more disadvantaged, due to more restrictive migration controls in such destinations.