IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/gender/v28y2021i2p641-655.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Migration, service work, and masculinity in the global South: Private security guards in post‐socialist China

Author

Listed:
  • Susanne Y. P. Choi
  • Siran Li

Abstract

Past research on service work and masculinity has focused on men in traditionally feminized occupations or men in celebrated male‐dominated occupations in the global North, thus neglecting the experiences of men in low status, male‐dominated, and supposedly “masculine” service occupations in the global South. This article attempts to fill the gap by illustrating the problematic connections between work and masculinity among rural‐to‐urban male migrant workers in low paid private security guarding in South China. It examines how macrostructural forces of labor precarization, growing class inequalities, and the emergence of a discourse of consumer supremacy in post‐socialist China has rendered the instrumental, symbolic, and social connections between work and masculinity problematic for this group of workers. It also describes five different strategies employed by these workers to achieve a sense of manhood: practicing combative masculinity; practicing toxic masculinity; constructing a discourse of professionalism; emphasizing their fulfillment of familial responsibility; and espousing an entrepreneurial aspiration.

Suggested Citation

  • Susanne Y. P. Choi & Siran Li, 2021. "Migration, service work, and masculinity in the global South: Private security guards in post‐socialist China," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 641-655, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:28:y:2021:i:2:p:641-655
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12605
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12605
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/gwao.12605?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tamika Alana Perrott, 2019. "Doing hot and ‘dirty’ work: Masculinities and occupational identity in firefighting," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(10), pages 1398-1412, October.
    2. Natasha Slutskaya & Ruth Simpson & Jason Hughes & Alexander Simpson & Selçuk Uygur, 2016. "Masculinity and Class in the Context of Dirty Work," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 165-182, March.
    3. Jin Lee & Melika Shirmohammadi & Lisa M. Baumgartner & Jihye Oh & Soo Jeoung Han, 2019. "Warriors in suits: A Bourdieusian perspective on the construction and practice of military masculinity of Korean men," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(10), pages 1467-1488, October.
    4. Matthew S. Johnston & Edwin Hodge, 2014. "‘Dirt, Death and Danger? I Don't Recall Any Adverse Reaction …’: Masculinity and the Taint Management of Hospital Private Security Work," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(6), pages 546-558, November.
    5. Homi Kharas, 2010. "The Emerging Middle Class in Developing Countries," OECD Development Centre Working Papers 285, OECD Publishing.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rafael Alcadipani, 2020. "Pandemic and macho organizations: Wake‐up call or business as usual?," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(5), pages 734-746, September.
    2. Sjauw-Koen-Fa, August R. & Blok, Vincent & Omta, S.W.F. (Onno), 2016. "Critical Success Factors for Smallholder Inclusion in High Value-Adding Supply Chains by Food & Agribusiness Multinational Enterprise," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 19(1), pages 1-30, February.
    3. Oasis Kodila-Tedika & Simplice A. Asongu & Julio Mukendi Kayembe, 2016. "Middle Class in Africa: Determinants and Consequences," International Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(4), pages 527-549, October.
    4. Ordeñana, Xavier & Arteaga, Elizabeth, 2012. "Middle-Class Entrepreneurship and the Effect of Social Capital," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 4037, Inter-American Development Bank.
    5. Elena Sochirca & Pedro Cunha Neves, 2018. "Optimal policies, middle class development and human capital accumulation under elite rivalry," CEFAGE-UE Working Papers 2018_04, University of Evora, CEFAGE-UE (Portugal).
    6. Bianca Yamaguchi & Toru Takahashi & Cristian Iulian Vlad & Hiroaki Kaneko & Ana Damaschin, 2020. "The Impact of Resource-Based Circular Economic Models in Japan," Romanian Economic Business Review, Romanian-American University, vol. 15(3), pages 1-28, September.
    7. Angel Melguizo, 2015. "Pensions, informality, and the emerging middle class," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 169-169, July.
    8. Tomas Hellebrandt & Paolo Mauro, 2015. "The Future of Worldwide Income Distribution," Working Paper Series WP15-7, Peterson Institute for International Economics.
    9. de Lucinda, Claudio Ribeiro & Vieira, Rodrigo Luiz, 2014. "Interest Rates and Informational Issues in the Credit Market: Experimental Evidence from Brazil," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 47-58.
    10. Grohmann, Antonia, 2018. "Financial literacy and financial behavior: Evidence from the emerging Asian middle class," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 129-143.
    11. Berrou, Jean-Philippe & Clément, Matthieu & Combarnous, François & Darbon, Dominique & Fauré, Yves-André, 2020. "Anatomy of the Brazilian middle class: identification, behaviours and expectations," Revista CEPAL, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), April.
    12. Murat Arsel & Aram Ziai, 2015. "Forum 2015," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 46(4), pages 833-854, July.
    13. Vani S. Kulkarni, 2014. "Global middle class and dietary patterns: a sociological perspective," Chapters, in: Raghbendra Jha & Raghav Gaiha & Anil B. Deolalikar (ed.), Handbook on Food, chapter 20, pages 515-538, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2021. "Income Levels, Governance and Inclusive Human Development in Sub-Saharan Africa," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 16(1), pages 71-103, February.
    15. Huynh, Phu. & Kapsos, Steven., 2013. "Economic class and labour market inclusion poor and middle class workers in developing Asia and the Pacific," ILO Working Papers 994822963402676, International Labour Organization.
    16. Laurence Romani & Patrizia Zanoni & Lotte Holck, 2021. "Radicalizing diversity (research): Time to resume talking about class," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 8-23, January.
    17. Agyapong, Nana Ama & Annan, Reginald A. & Apprey, Charles & Aryeetey, Richmond, 2022. "A review of Ghana’s food system and its implications on sustainability and the development of national food-based dietary guidelines," African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), vol. 22(02).
    18. Imbert, Enrica & Ladu, Luana & Morone, Piergiuseppe & Quitzow, Rainer, 2017. "Policy strategies for a transition to a bioeconomy in Europe: the case of Italy and Germany," MPRA Paper 78143, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. André Leliveld & Peter Knorringa, 2018. "Frugal Innovation and Development Research," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 30(1), pages 1-16, January.
    20. Jayatilleke S. Bandara, 2013. "What is Driving India’s Food Inflation? A Survey of Recent Evidence," South Asia Economic Journal, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, vol. 14(1), pages 127-156, March.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:28:y:2021:i:2:p:641-655. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0968-6673 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.