A new research article by W. John Morgan, Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow at WISERD and Honorary Professor at Cardiff University with colleagues, Dan Liu from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and Qiuxi Liu from Hunan Agricultural University, has been published in the latest edition of Population, Space and Place.
The article, ‘Why do Chinese overseas doctoral graduates return to China? The push‐pull factors and the influence of gender and gender norms’, is based on a qualitative study with 31 Chinese overseas doctoral graduate returnees.
Although attention has been paid to return migration internationally, research studies on why Chinese overseas doctoral graduates return to China are few. A study that considers gendered motivations has yet to be found.
This study examines factors influencing graduates’ reasons for returning to China and how these relate to Chinese gender and gender role‐related cultural norms. Using the push‐pull theory and the concepts of gender (as an individual characteristic) and gender norms, the study shows that the reasons for return were gendered, with females motivated by family and emotional factors and males by economic and career benefits.
The study identifies inequalities derived from traditional gender roles and cultural norms that persist in China. This has implications for state policy, higher education institutions and future research.
This study is funded by the Humanities and Social Science Fund of Ministry of Education of China and Guangdong Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science.