Paper short abstract:

In this paper, I exam how internal and international migration policies in China combine with precarity in informal trading activities to create a sense of uncertainty among transnational families in terms of settlement and children's education in Yiwu.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper, I exam how internal and international migration policies in China combine with precarity in informal trading activities to create a sense of uncertainty among transnational families in terms of settlement and children's education in Yiwu.

Yiwu, the world's largest wholesale market for small commodities in China, has witnessed rapid growth in transnational marriages in the last two decades. Most husbands in such households are Muslim traders from Africa, Arabic or south-Asian countries. The majority of wives are migrants from other parts of China. The Chinese household registration (hukou) system results in mothers and children being excluded from local social benefits, whilst husband's businesses are vulnerable to changes in state policies and fluctuations in global markets. Recent changes in Chinese immigration policy and instability in global markets have resulted in widespread insecurity and in some women coming under pressure to move to their husband's home or a third country.

Based on six months fieldwork in Yiwu, I explore the complex intersection of trade, state policy and family strategies in influencing migrants' decision-making. I argue that intermarriage plays an important role in anchoring trading networks in Yiwu, but that such households face significant uncertainties due to structural constraints resulting from state polices and instability in both domestic and global economic circumstances. Furthermore, personal dimensions of attachment and family orientation are important factors influencing decisions regarding migration. Women are active agents in negotiating new circumstances but their agency is limited by these structural constraints.