Educational Expectations of Left-behind Children in China: Determinants and Gender Differences

Abstract

In response to the relatively low educational attainment of left-behind children in China, this article examines the determinants of educational expectations among left-behind children and how these differ by gender by analyzing data collected from 2215 left-behind children in southwestern China. Multinomial logistic regression models of educational expectations that incorporate family economic status, care arrangement under different parental migration patterns, and significant others are tested by gender and school level. The results prove that all of the above incorporated factors affect the educational expectations of left-behind children to a considerable extent. Comparisons of educational expectations are made between left-behind children in primary school and junior high school and between different genders. The results show that male advantages in educational expectations exist only during primary school, and female left-behind children surpass male children to have higher educational expectations during junior high school. This suggests a distinctive influence of care arrangements on educational expectations between genders. For female children, grandparental care and a higher frequency of parental contact during migration could be substituted for parental absence. However, for male children, grandparental care does not fully substitute for parental care, and parental migration seems to be more detrimental to them. The findings add to our understanding of the dynamic relationship among parental migration, gender inequality, and educational opportunity among left-behind children in general.