Empirical Study Returning Older Generation Of Migrant Workers Living Conditions

Chinese unique urban-rural dual structure and household registration system lead tothat peasant workers flowing freely, dual-direction and repeatedly between urban and rural,which called Chinese pattern of labor migration. During30years of Reform and Opening,peasant worker as integration of peasant and worker who contribute to carrying resourcesand construction not only provided abundant labor force, but maintained development ofChinese agriculture and its cultural heritage. However, as time goes on, the transfer ofpeasant worker persists intergeneration, new generation, instead of old one, is becomingthe main part of society. Especially the outbreak of2008financial crisis made the oldgeneration peasant workers go back their home more quickly. By2010, over the age of40only accounted for38%of migrant peasant workers, a large number of older workers goneback to countryside and started their new life. Then what their living condition changedafter their back home? Whether or not they adept agricultural life? Or they still want to goon their migrant life? Besides, what influence of economy development and socialstructure after their flowing back?With above questions, this article begins form4aspects including feature of oldgeneration peasant workers, experiences of working, situation of back home, livingcondition and expectation after back. The author conducted field investigation to16villages and8towns of Dongxing District, Neijiang City and Shehong County, SuiningCity, based on309effective samples’ analysis of description, satisfaction, ordinal utilityand correlation, and came to the following conclusions:1. Returning is the stable psychological expectations of the older generation, theydidn’t worry or scare of this.2. After returning, the older generation get inter-divided. Except21%of them still kepttheir semi-worker and semi-peasant life, the other get to different ways, such as traditionalpeasant, scale farmer, agricultural worker, self-employed, enterpriser, and village cadre.3. Although the older generation’s value orientation is still in the core of living ration,but this changed from increasing income to happiness. Solving house problem is the mostexpectation of them, and the motivation of migration is coming for their son and daughterin them.Above all, the living attitude of returning older generation is positive and optimism.The flowing back of them is not fall back. Conversely, they are bring new chances tourbanization and agricultural modernization relying on their self-auger-type development, then make up the weakness of urban-rural dual structure. But that do not change the factthat the older generation are marginalized. They are still the missing group of governmentpolicy and system, and need policy support directly and definitely.