Economic Inequality and Childhood in China's Cities

• In Event: 422 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Paper Session. Family Inequality

Abstract

This paper investigates the circumstances of childhood in China’s cities and how they differ for wealthy and poor children.  The highly disparate conditions of childhood in urban and rural areas in China are well-established, but inequalities among children within China's cities are less frequently studied and may be growing.  Economic disparities in living circumstances of urban children have likely increased dramatically in recent years, with the emergence of a new urban economic elite and policy attention to the emerging issue of urban poverty.  These disparities may have implications for cognitive development and educational outcomes. We draw on two large-scale data sets, the China Family Panel Studies and the China Education Panel Survey, to compare the lives of rich and poor children in terms of school conditions and access to education-related family investments and resources. Although we do not perform direct tests of the effect of family and school-level resources and conditions on children’s outcomes, we look at the cognitive and academic test performance of urban children from different socioeconomic backgrounds. (Note to the organizer: We are also working on and anticipate being able to present a national analysis of economic inequality among children in China)

Authors

• Natalie Alice Eckhardt Young, University of Pennsylvania

• Emily Carroll Hannum, University of Pennsylvania