Urban Migration In China

Therefore, the restrictive system of Hukou becomes the institutional basis for urban bias. Significant numbers of migrant workers are discriminated against and segregated from the rest of the society’s population. The status of a migrant is similar to that of a non-citizen in a foreign country, meaning that they are not considered as full members of the society and therefore do not enjoy similar benefits and help. Permits have to be renewed annually for a fee but migrants who wants to avoid paying it, do not register with the police, therefore putting themselves in a very vulnerable and dangerous situation. Migrants who are caught without a permit faces huge fines and some may even get sent back to their rural hometown. Furthermore, migrants

Globalization can be defined as the process by which countries and people around the world are becoming more and more connected. This exchange of information and cultures occurs mainly due to the increasing trade around the world. Hence, it can be said that globalization is closely linked with the economy. China’s economic reforms started in 1979 mainly as a response to globalization. As a result of globalization and China’s comparative advantage in inexpensive manual labor, China now enjoys an export-propelled high GDP. (Yue, 2012). After 1979, a lot of focus was placed on increasing export-oriented production. Therefore, within a short period of time, China rose up to become an export base due to it having several advantages such as low labor

With the rise in multinational businesses in China, the Chinese are also facing the unintended problems of sweatshops, whereby workers are made to work long hours in poor working conditions. As the demand for goods increases, companies and factories have to step up on production and increases their supply. The fastest way to do so would be to hire more workers but these increases production costs. Therefore, these companies turn to making their existing workers work overtime, and they openly violate China’s labor laws. For instance, workers working at Hongkai Electronics are made to work overtime for 140 hours monthly on average. Workers are often unable to use the toilets while working which will eventually affect their health adversely (China Labor Watch, 2011). One infamous company involved in such practices is Foxconn, an electronics manufacturer. Workers are routinely made to work overtime, and the excessively low wages effectively forces workers to work overtime (Neate, 2013). In 2010, 18 employees of Foxconn attempted to commit suicide due to the harsh working conditions they faced (Heffernan, 2013). Thus, lowly paid workers, usually the rural migrants, are discriminated and have to endure more difficulties than if they actually stayed in their