Trafficking in women in China

Based on existing data and prior research, this paper reviews studies of and investigations into the trafficking of women in China. First, the “industrial chain” of human trafficking is analyzed. Second, the analysis indicates that the “buyers market” exhibits a strong demand for trafficking in women. The scale of trafficking is escalating: originally the crime was mainly committed in a few provinces, but has now spread to nearly every province in China. Furthermore, human trafficking groups are now displaying the characteristics of collectivization and specialization. Although the Chinese government has launched a series of rescue actions, the effort has run into tremendous difficulties due to dilemmas encountered by buyers, local citizens, grass-roots organizations and the trafficked women themselves. To completely eradicate trafficking in women, the Chinese government has to make long-term efforts to crack down on the buyers market and to redress the sex imbalance.This work is supported by the key project of National Social Science Foundation of China (09XSH005, 08&ZD048), and the 985-3 project of Xi’an Jiaotong University.Publicad

Child trafficking in China

Child trafficking is a serious problem in China. However, there has not been much research in this area. This article introduces the problem of child trafficking in China based on available data. First, the article examines the reasons for child trafficking followed by a summary description of the characteristics of the children who have been victims of trafficking. Next, the article analyzes the process of child trafficking and discusses the fate of the children involved. The article additionally provides a description of the various measures adopted by the Chinese government and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) to combat child trafficking and mentions the resistance to these measures. This article will hopefully draw the attention of the government, academia and the public to this issue.This work was jointly supported by the 985-3 Project of Xi’an Jiaotong University and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CSO2012-31206)

Marriage Squeeze, Never-Married Proportion, and Mean Age at First Marriage in China

China’s sex ratio imbalance and the surplus of males have received a great deal of attention, but measures of the extent of the marriage squeeze do not take into account the marital status of population. In this paper, we devise an index of the marriage squeeze for the never-married population and use it to project the male marriage squeeze from 2000 to 2060. From the predicted population and nuptiality tables, we estimate trends in the proportion of men that never marry by age 50 and the mean age at first marriage. We find that the marriage squeeze is much more intense if only the never-married population is considered, rather than including all people without distinguishing their marital status. As the lifelong never-married proportion increases, mean age at first marriage rises first and then declines

Bride price in China: the obstacle to 'Bare Branches' seeking marriage

Throughout Chinese history, the country's patrilineal family system has lead to the practice of paying for brides, a social phenomenon closely related to the issue of surplus males in China. This article attempts to analyze the fluctuations in bride prices over the last 50 years, and at the same time investigate the two vicious cycles involving ‘bare branches’ and the ways in which they find money to pay a bride price. The following points are concluded: 1. The prevalence of paying a bride price is closely related to China's shortage of females. Due to the difficulty involved in finding a wife, bride prices have consistently risen since the 1980s. 2. Males in poor rural areas are afflicted by two vicious cycles. The first is the ‘poor—bare branch—poorer’ cycle. Specifically, poverty prevents them from finding a spouse; this effectively turns them into bare branches, after which they become even poorer. The second is the ‘inability to pay the bride price—bare branch—need to pay a higher bride price’ cycle. Unable to pay a bride price because they are poor, they are forced to postpone getting married to save enough money. After they become bare branches, they find themselves in a more disadvantaged position, and as a result must pay a higher bride price when seeking a wife. 3. In order to pay a bride price, many families are forced to scrimp and save for decades, to borrow money or to take out other types of loans. In extreme circumstances, they will even resort to obtaining money illegally in order to pay a bride price.This work is jointly supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China (09XSH005) and 985-3 Project of Xi’an Jiaotong University. This work has also been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CSO2009-11883/SOCI)

Socio-demographic risks and challenges of bare-branch villages in China

China’s bare branches, the Chinese name for surplus men, have attracted much attention, yet few studies have focused on the increasing phenomenon of bare-branch villages. In this literature review, the formation of bare-branch villages, the impact of such villages on individual bare branches and their families, and potential threats to villages and families are analyzed. It was found that the sex ratio and female marriage migration to prosperous areas are the two main determinants of the formation of bare-branch villages. Individual bare branches in such villages are affected both physically and psychologically and are isolated in social activities. Their families and villages suffer in many ways. Bare branches may accelerate the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and increase the incidence of criminal behavior and violence. Even worse, because bare branches in a village share many bonds, they may take collective actions that can endanger China’s social stability.This work is jointly supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, the 985-3 Project of Xi’an Jiaotong University, and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CSO2012-31206)

Forecasting China's mortality

China's life expectancy at birth is currently being debated; the 2010 census data may exaggerate the figure and its rate of increase. In this paper, with an extension of the Lee-Carter method for limited data, we use China's 1982, 1990 and 2000 censuses to forecast the mortality pattern and life expectancy for the 2000 to 2030 period. We find that the annual increase in life expectancy from 2000 to 2030 is predicted to be 0.18 years for males, and 0.23 years for females, and the infant mortality rate is predicted to decline to 10.39‰ in 2030 for males, and to 20.32‰ for females.This work is jointly supported by the 985-3 Project of Xi’an Jiaotong University and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CSO2012-31206

The risk of mothers: losing an only child in China

China’s one-child policy has been quite successful in bringing down the country’s fertility level but has produced a large number of one-child families. The risk of one-child families losing their only child has not received enough attention. In this paper, using an extension of Goldman & Lord (1983)’s method to measure widowhood, period life-table data from China’s 2000 population census are used to examine age-specific and cumulative probabilities of mothers losing their only child. It is found that a mother faces a 14.94% probability of losing a son, and 12.21% probability of losing a daughter. As the age of first-time mothers increases, the probability of losing a child declines. Urban and rural mothers have different indices regarding the loss of children. Based on these findings the prospects for China’s one-child policy are discussed.This work was supported by the 985-3 Project of Xi'an Jiaotong University, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities. It was also supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CSO2012-31206)

Can China afford rapid aging?

China’s rapid aging has caused widespread concern, but it seems that the situations and consequences of rapid aging are not adequately acknowledged. This study analyzed the problem of ageing in China from the aspects of elderly people’s health status, income source, daily care, suicide, the weak social security system in terms of pension, health expenses, and long-term care costs as well as incoming accelerating ageing process in China. All these factors indicate that it is difficult for China to afford the issue of a rapidly aging population.This research was supported by Key Project of National Social Science Foundation of China (15ZDB136) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CSO2012-31206)

Data uncertainties in China's population

China’s large population and many demographic phenomena have drawn much attention, but its population data are flawed. In the paper we address uncertainties regarding China’s total population size, the fertility rate, and the death rate in China’s census data. The review is aimed to alert users of China’s data about the uncertainties and flaws so as to avoid misleading claims or research.This work is jointly supported by the key project of the National Social Science Foundation of China (14AZD096), the HSSTP project of Shaanxi Province (Jiang), and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CSO2012-31206)