The Deficiency of Hukou System in China

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another. In China, there is a clear pattern of internal migration from the rural areas to the urban areas and, with the exception of Xinjiang (in the extreme west), from the central provinces to the eastern provinces. Chinese internal migration has been the biggest movement of people anywhere on earth in the last 100 years. It is estimated that China has over 150 million official internal migrants. People migrate to improve their lifestyles and because they are encouraged to do so by their government. In China many more people want to migrate within the nation than the government will allow. Migrant move from village to the major cities to get a better life. However, they get so many new problem in the major cities, for example they are discriminated by government’s policies. This paper describe about the deficiency in hukou system such us discrimination.

Migration in China led to a lot of negative effects, such is discrimination. discrimination received by immigrants would greatly affect their lives. they are treated unfairly by the government because they were only going to stay while in the city. This is certainly generated a lot of losses received by immigrants. They moved from the village to the city in hopes of getting a better life even if only for a while. But in fact, they do not get what the citizens get.

China's government influences the pattern of urbanization through the Hukou permanent residence registration system, land-sale policies, infrastructure investment and the incentives offered to local government officials. The other factors influencing migration of people from rural provincial areas to large cities are employment, education, business opportunities and higher standard of living. People moving to cities in China from country areas must be 'registered' and buy a permit. The household registration system is called 'hukou' and is used to control the flow of migrants. The cost of the permits vary but for cities such as Beijing they are quite expensive and even a six-month permit can cost up to a year’s average income. Some permits allow permanent migration but most do not. Permanent residence is given to those who are highly educated, have special skills or have immediate family already resident with legal status.

When populations migrate there is a changed demand on infrastructure in both the place they emigrate from and the place they immigrate to. There are shifts in demands for roads, hospitals, doctors, amusement parks, schools, public transport, housing, child care, power generation, shops, police, telephones and employment. The Chinese are attempting to plan the growth of their major cities and so have laws which limit internal migration.

Most migrant workers are limited to between six months and 12 months legal residence in major cities. They are considered to be temporary residents and referred to as 'liudong renkou' or 'floating population'. While in the cities they remain officially residents of rural homes and have restricted legal access to urban facilities. Having no permanency and being denied the rights of city dwellers causes problems with almost every aspect of life. Good quality housing, for example, is hard to get and rents are high.

Urban workers in China have similar rights to workers in Australia with paid public holidays, pensions and maternity leave. Hukou workers do not. They are paid on an hourly basis and do not have paid meal breaks. They lack unemployment support if they lose their job. They are usually expected to work weekends. Their wages are kept low because there are so many others willing to take their place.

Breaking the law can mean being deported with no chance of coming back to the cities. If hukou need a hospital, for example, they either have to pay a lot more than the city dwellers or return to their home province for free treatment. It is very difficult for families to legally move to the cities. Places in schools are limited and often children are sent back to their grandparents in rural areas for schooling. Despite the discrimination against hukou workers millions have moved to the cities. China now has over 150 million official hukou rural migrants living in cities. There is also a very large unregistered population who simply take their chances and stay despite being 'illegal'.

Migrant workers are not only paid less than urban workers, sometimes they aren't paid at all due to a lack of legal protection. Furthermore, migrant workers have low participation rates in pension and other social insurance programs.Fewer than 5 percent of migrant workers receive full or partial pension insurance. Though some cities are seeking to ease their rules on portability of benefits, migrant workers often have trouble transferring pensions and social security benefits to their hometowns due to restrictive local regulations. Migrant workers frequently work long hours under unsafe conditions, often without the benefit of labor contracts and institutional protection.

Female migrant workers, who comprise roughly one-third of all internal migrants, are vastly overrepresented in unskilled, low-paying, and labor-intensive factories. That young, single women are preferred in these industries because they are more easily controlled and less likely to know their rights. Despite provisions in the Chinese Labor Law that stipulate employers allow for maternity leave, many refuse to abide by the law. 21 percent of female rural migrant workers were fired after becoming pregnant or giving birth. Sexual harassment and abuse are also frequently reported.

Internal migrants with rural hukou status must pay a "donation" for their children, who automatically inherit their parents' hukou status, to attend urban schools. Although cheaper schools for migrants exist, the quality of teachers and facilities is generally lower than in regular schools. And about Public health, Not only do internal migrants face greater occupational hazards, but more than 80 percent lack health insurance. They often live in cramped housing situations where diseases such as tuberculosis can easily spread, creating a public health risk. Also, because a large portion of migrants are men who, in some cases, have relations with sex workers, they are more highly susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases. Officials estimate that migrant workers accounted for some 80 percent of Beijing's new HIV cases in 2006.

In conclusion, China's government influences the pattern of urbanization through the Hukou permanent residence registration system, land-sale policies, infrastructure investment and the incentives offered to local government officials. The other factors influencing migration of people from rural provincial areas to large cities are employment, education, business opportunities and higher standard of living. Immigrants moved from village to town to get a better life. But in fact, the immigrants get a new problem, that is Discrimination. Discrimination gives negative effects on their lives. The government should provide real solutions to overcome discrimination. because the immigrants desperately need justice so that they can live better.

Source:

Wing Chan, Kam. 2011. “China, Internal Migration”, in http://faculty.washington.edu/kwchan/Chan-migration.pdf Downloaded on 21 December 2014