Those who leave and those who stay: Son-preference culture and female migration in China

As the role of female migrants continues to evolve amid ongoing efforts to achieve global gender equality, it is imperative to explore how discriminatory social institutions are reshaping female migration patterns. This study examines the impact of a specific gender norm, namely a preference for sons over daughters (“son preference”), on female migration decisions. Using a large and representative individual-level dataset from China, we document a significant positive relationship between the level of son preference in a culture and the likelihood of female out-migration. Specifically, the positive effect of son preference is evident in two categories of reasons for migration: employment and accompanying family. Heterogeneity analysis further reveals a strengthened effect in China's eastern economic and coastal regions, as well as in areas with advanced Internet development. Further analyses suggest that escaping discrimination may serve as a potential mechanism behind our findings. Overall, this study contributes novel insights to migration studies by integrating gendered perspectives.