The Change Of Migrant Workers’Family Livelihood

From the perspective of social change, through studying the return of migrant workers into the city life and returning life, which to rediscover what it means to farmers and rural areas.To this end, the author made field research in Miaoxiang, and conducted the migrant workers more than dozens of interviews, has understanding of on their "into city-return home" process.Analyzing the family livelihood of returning of migrant workers and macro socio-economic structure that they belong to, which to described the process of the return of migrant workers flow between urban and rural areas, furthermore to explain why and how the livelihoods of their families change.Since the reformation, the development of market economy has provided opportunities for smallholders’ family off-farm income, which is the social background of the rural labor outflow. The pressure of family poverty, heavy tax burden and the culture of working are the three reasons of migrant workers’ family making decision migrating from rural areas to city. The change of family livelihoods made two effects: firstly, family separation led to emotional deprivation, Secondly is to promote the reproduction of social relations in village, in consequence migrant workers become the bonds between the city and rural.This study found that migrant workers return home has three livelihood selection, including self-employment, the new types of agriculture and traditional agriculture. The new livelihoods have more developmental objectives, more diverse livelihood selective strategies, and the results of output gain more economic benefit. The difference between new family livelihoods and traditional family livelihoods is the connection with the land. Start-up capital, human capital and natural capital are the key factors to a successful transformation of the family livelihood.