Does “son preference” affect rural floating parents’ willingness to settle in towns and cities?

Abstract

Urbanization in China has accelerated since its reform and opening policy in 1978. The driving forces of the movement from rural areas to cities in current literature include job opportunities, family income, housing conditions, and city size. It remains an open question whether son preference, one of the oldest issues in Chinese culture, impacts rural floating parents' willingness to settle in urban areas. This study examines this question using the 2017 China Migration Dynamic Monitoring Survey (CMDS) data. We find that parents' decisions to provide their sons with better education, help their sons buy houses, and raise their sons to care for them in old age are important channels to enhance parents’ willingness to settle in urban areas.