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A Qualitative Study of Rural-To-Urban Migrant Chinese Mothers’ Experiences in Mother-Child Interactions and Self-Evaluation

Author

Listed:
  • Siu-ming To

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Ching-man Lam

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

  • Yuk-yan So

    (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Abstract

While previous research has highlighted the crucial role of parental support and parent-child communication in enhancing the quality of life of left-behind children in China, little research has investigated how migrant parents’ perceptions of parent-child interactions relate to their self-evaluation in parenthood and affect their parental well-being. This qualitative study adopted a symbolic interactionist perspective of identity construction to develop a heuristic tool to examine the narratives collected through individual interviews with 30 rural-to-urban migrant Chinese mothers regarding their experiences in maintaining ties with their children and how such experiences relate to their self-evaluation in motherhood. This study identified four types of maternal self-evaluation. The first type of mothers had few interactions with their children and constructed their maternal self mainly out of the cultural and social understanding of motherhood. The second type of mothers were able to maintain relational connectedness with their children and evaluated their maternal self positively. The third type of mothers had unfavorable parent-child interactions and constructed a resigned and gloomy view of their maternal self. The last type also evaluated their maternal identity negatively, but they maintained hope to redeem the maternal self through changing parental practices. The research findings demonstrate the complexity, diversity, and malleability of the construction of maternal identity among migrant mothers in China. They also provide insights into a number of initiatives that could potentially promote the well-being of migrant mothers and support their families.

Suggested Citation

  • Siu-ming To & Ching-man Lam & Yuk-yan So, 2020. "A Qualitative Study of Rural-To-Urban Migrant Chinese Mothers’ Experiences in Mother-Child Interactions and Self-Evaluation," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 15(3), pages 813-833, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:15:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s11482-019-9704-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11482-019-9704-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Siu To & Hau Tam, 2014. "Generational Differences in Work Values, Perceived Job Rewards, and Job Satisfaction of Chinese Female Migrant Workers: Implications for Social Policy and Social Services," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 118(3), pages 1315-1332, September.
    2. Wu, Qiaobing & Lu, Deping & Kang, Mi, 2015. "Social capital and the mental health of children in rural China with different experiences of parental migration," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 270-277.
    3. Anthony Onwuegbuzie & Nancy Leech, 2007. "A Call for Qualitative Power Analyses," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 105-121, February.
    4. Monica Budowski & Sebastian Schief & Rebekka Sieber, 2016. "Precariousness and Quality of Life—a Qualitative Perspective on Quality of Life of Households in Precarious Prosperity in Switzerland and Spain," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 11(4), pages 1035-1058, December.
    5. Piper Liping Liu & Louis Leung, 2017. "Migrant Parenting and Mobile Phone Use: Building Quality Relationships between Chinese Migrant Workers and their Left-behind Children," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 12(4), pages 925-946, December.
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