I Quit It Because I Wanted to: Ambitions and Aspirations of Women from Rural China Who Did Not Finish Compulsory Education and Became Migrant Workers

Abstract

In China, compulsory education extends to grade 9 and is mandated by law. However, there are still significant number of rural girls who choose to dropout of school and become migrant workers in coastal cities. This research contributes to existing literature by exploring why rural girls drop out and become migrant workers through two aspects. The former focuses on the 'forced' perspective, in which economic and gender norms play a role in pressuring girls to drop out of school. On the other hand, some researchers point out that girls may exert their agency and autonomously decide to drop out and become migrant workers. This can be because of their internal motivations and life goals, such as the desire to contribute financially to the family, lack of interest in academics, academic difficulties, peer influence, aspirations for a better life in rural areas, etc. In today's world, rural girls' agency and autonomy are increasingly important, therefore, this study examines the interplay of forced aspect and voluntary aspect from a rural girl's narrative to fill the gap that previous studies have missed.