Maternity Nonagricultural Employment, Rural-Urban Migration, Maternal Care and Child Health – Evidence from Rural China

The ratio of women participating in nonagricultural work has increased significantly in rural China since the so-called “Market Economy” was adopted in the 1980s. This phenomenon has had a great impact on family income earning patterns and poverty reduction. However, from the perspective of the woman’s dual identity in the family – income earner and child caregiver – the change in work patterns and labor supply behavior has had an uncertain effect on child welfare and human capital accumulation. This paper studies maternal labor supply patterns for those female “peasant workers” in rural areas and discusses women’s labor participation behavior and its effect on child health outcomes. I seek to develop and estimate a dynamic model of the agricultural, nonagricultural and migratory employment and maternal care decisions of rural women to evaluate the effects of these choices on child health. Other effects such as maternal agricultural and nonagricultural working time and maternal income effects will also be examined. Children with different genders may be affected differently; girls in general have a lower health state than boys. Policy implication strategies will also be discussed.