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China has experienced a form of urbanization that is probably unparalleled in human history. In the past several decades, Millions of “migrant workers” travelled thousands of miles to big cities like Guangzhou and Shanghai, hoping to own a higher salary to support their families and have a better life. However, due to the relative low salary and the high fees of long distance travel, it was impractical for many migrant workers to meet with their family members very often. To many of them, the spring festival was the only chance to get together with their beloved ones.
Working afar from their families has cause several social problems. First of all, it has created a huge population of the so-called“left-behind children” and the elderly living in an “empty nest”. They are left alone because most factories and companies only recruit young adults and the cost of living in a big city is too high to support an entire family. On some occasions, there is no serious problem for these people. If the child in a family is old enough and the elderly is in good health, they could take care of each other. But on other occasions, serious problems or even tragedies could happen. In the past several years, it has been reported that many left-behind teenage girls in the countryside were raped. Were their parents living together with them, many of these tragedies could be avoided.
Second, working afar also significantly decreases the well being of the young adults. Life in the big cities may be more inciting than living in a small country or a town, but it also bring material and psychological problems. There is no one who could help cooking or do the laundry for the people who work outside. When they are not doing well in their work, they cannot get any advice or help from their parents. Above all, they cannot enjoy the fun and happiness of living together with their family members, especially their children. Lack of such familial support, it is not surprising that many migrant workers consider themselves as strangers in the big city.
Of course, it would be an ideal solution if the society could provide migrant workers and their family members jobs and social securities that could help them settle down in the big city.But considering China’s economic development and the population, it is simply unrealistic to achieve this goal in the foreseeable future. China’s old people who are over 60 has grown to 200 million in 2014 and will continue to grow in the near future. In 2050, the number would reach to an unprecedented 430 million, accounting for 30% of the total population. The big cities would be overwhelmed if China’s future urbanization tries to migrate most of the elderly into the big cities.
Working afar from their families has cause several social problems. First of all, it has created a huge population of the so-called“left-behind children” and the elderly living in an “empty nest”. They are left alone because most factories and companies only recruit young adults and the cost of living in a big city is too high to support an entire family. On some occasions, there is no serious problem for these people. If the child in a family is old enough and the elderly is in good health, they could take care of each other. But on other occasions, serious problems or even tragedies could happen. In the past several years, it has been reported that many left-behind teenage girls in the countryside were raped. Were their parents living together with them, many of these tragedies could be avoided.
Second, working afar also significantly decreases the well being of the young adults. Life in the big cities may be more inciting than living in a small country or a town, but it also bring material and psychological problems. There is no one who could help cooking or do the laundry for the people who work outside. When they are not doing well in their work, they cannot get any advice or help from their parents. Above all, they cannot enjoy the fun and happiness of living together with their family members, especially their children. Lack of such familial support, it is not surprising that many migrant workers consider themselves as strangers in the big city.
Of course, it would be an ideal solution if the society could provide migrant workers and their family members jobs and social securities that could help them settle down in the big city.But considering China’s economic development and the population, it is simply unrealistic to achieve this goal in the foreseeable future. China’s old people who are over 60 has grown to 200 million in 2014 and will continue to grow in the near future. In 2050, the number would reach to an unprecedented 430 million, accounting for 30% of the total population. The big cities would be overwhelmed if China’s future urbanization tries to migrate most of the elderly into the big cities.