Daughters Left Behind: How Trade Liberalization Harms Girls in China when Government Restricts Migration
Joint with Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
China’s accession to the WTO created new economic opportunities in certain cities. A shift-share identification strategy shows that residents of adjacent rural areas migrated in and advanced economically. Longitudinal panel data on children reveals that their sons benefit, but counter-intuitively, daughters suffer worse mental and physical health, complete fewer years of schooling, and remain poor later in life. We explore why, and learn that hukou policy that restricts migrant children’s access to urban schools is a factor. Triple difference research designs reveal that migrant parents become discontinuously more likely to leave middle-school-aged daughters (but not sons) behind in rural areas – often without either parent present – exactly when and where hukou policy makes schooling more expensive. 69 million Chinese children are left behind in rural areas, and girls are harmed even when trade liberalization increases family income.

Written with X. Gao, W. Liang, A. M. Mobarak, R. Song

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Date: 28 May 2025, 12:30
Venue: Manor Road Building, Manor Road OX1 3UQ
Venue Details: Seminar Room G (third floor)
Speaker: Mushfiq Mobarak (Yale University)
Organising department: Department of Economics
Organisers: Niccolo Meriggi (University of Oxford), Dennis Egger (University of Oxford), Rocco Zizzamia (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: suzanne.george@economics.ox.ac.uk
Part of: CSAE Lunchtime Seminars
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Public
Editors: Suzanne George, Fiona Morsia, Claire Goode