ABSTRACT
On 13 June, 2012, a 23-year-old Chinese Foxconn worker jumped to his death in the inland city of Chengdu, renewing public attention on labor suicides in China. The blight of China’s migrant workers received worldwide scrutiny when 13 young workers attempted or committed suicide at Foxconn plants in Shenzhen between January and May of 2010. “Migrant workers”, in the Chinese context, refers primarily to individuals who are from rural areas, have a rural registration, and are working outside their village and town. The most widely accepted criterion is age. The year 1980 is the most commonly used dividing line; they constitute the new-generation migrants while those born before 1980 are considered old-generation migrants. The increased proportion of women among the new-generation migrants underscores changes in migrants’ household structure. The old-generation migrants count on migrant work to improve their living standard and enable them to “earn some money, build a house, marry a wife, and raise children”.
