Bargaining with patriarchy: returned dagongmei's (factory girls') gendered spaces in neoliberalizing China's hinterland

Abstract

This ethnographic paper documents the gendered spaces created by China's returned dagongmei (factory girls) in the context of industrial relocation from coastal regions to neoliberalizing hinterlands. It finds that these rural women's locality selection decisions for industrial work, either in the new local industrial park, or in their own upstart living-room factories, help them bargain with patriarchy upon their return. By utilizing market forces and entrepreneurial mindsets in the relocated industrial sectors prioritized by local governments, they eventually shift the familial patriarchy. They also penetrate the hegemony of neoliberalism, and strategically align with patriarchal resources when disadvantaged in the capital chain. This study uncovers the simultaneous presence and dynamic interactions of intersectional structural power systems and the women's multiple forms of practices. In doing so, it also documents the Chinese versions of 'bargaining with patriarchy' and neoliberalism.

Keywords:

• Bargaining with patriarchy
• Chinese dagongmei (factory girls)
• industrial relocation
• intersectionality
• neoliberalism
• return migration

Acknowledgements

I am thankful to David Ip and Yan Jun for their support and comments on the initial draft of the paper. I owe particular thanks to the three peer reviewers and the editor for their insightful critiques that helped me strengthen my arguments. My deepest gratitude extends to the returned dagongmei who shared their powerful stories with me. Without their stories and insights, this writing wouldn’t have been possible. Any remaining errors are my own.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Han Yuchen

Dr. Han Yuchen is Lecturer of School of Humanities and Social Science, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, PRC. Her research interests include gender, migration, contemporary China, alternative development, pedagogies and qualitative inquiry. Her PhD thesis titled 'When Migrant Factory Women Return Home: Their Life Experiences in Fast Growing China's Hinterland' won 2015 Best Thesis Award from the Hong Kong Sociological Association. Email address: [email protected]