How Life Stage and Early Experiences Shape Migration Aspirations

What is it about?

This paper examines motivational differences among different age-cohorts of wealthy Chinese migrants by incorporating the migration aspirations-capabilities framework with life-course analysis, combined with an analysis of migrants’ early-life socialisation experiences. Using empirical evidence generated from 56 semi-structured interviews with Chinese migrants living in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US, the study discovers instrumental, future-oriented career aspirations among young post-1989 generation Chinese, and aspirations to enhance well-being among middle-aged pre-1989 generation Chinese. The findings indicate that differences in migration motivations across age cohorts are influenced by individuals’ life stages and early-life socialisation experiences. This paper contributes to Chinese migration studies by uncovering clear generational differences in the motivations and trajectories of Chinese emigration over the past two decades. Equally importantly, the paper advances the capabilities-aspirations analytical framework by incorporating an analysis of individuals’ life-course events and early-life socialisation experiences in their home countries, thereby providing a more thorough understanding of the complex formation of migration aspirations, and demonstrating its applicability in explaining variations in migration aspirations across different age cohorts.

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Why is it important?

The findings of this study suggest that generational differences in migration aspirations are closely tied to migrants’ life stages and the socio-economic-political conditions of their formative years. The study highlights the importance of examining the socio-economic and political contexts of migrants’ early lives alongside their life-course events, in order to better understand age-cohort variations in migration intentions.

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