[1] University of Science and Technology Beijing, School of Foreign Studies, E-mail: m202211169@xs.ustb.edu.cn
Abstract
This study delves into the phenomenon of duànqīn (kinship disconnection) among new urban women in China, exploring the social-psychological mechanisms that drive this trend. Through an ethnographic discourse analysis of 89 posts on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, the research uncovers the linguistic representations and social mechanisms that underlie the resistance to traditional gender roles and rural patriarchy. The study employs a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative analyses, to identify the core subject of this discourse as educated, mobile women who are challenging the cultural expectations imposed on them. The findings indicate that these women, experiencing kinship burnout, are actively deconstructing rural patriarchy by rejecting the traditional roles that confine them to submission and economic support within their families of origin. Instead, they are constructing new identities that emphasize self-motivation, independence, and gender equality. This empowerment is leading to a redefinition of family relationships and a pursuit of more harmonious and equal intimate connections. The research contributes to the understanding of the evolving dynamics of gender roles and kinship in the context of China’s rapid urbanization and social change. It offers insights into the challenges faced by women navigating the complexities of social mobility and the reconstruction of their identities within the rural-urban continuum.
Keywords: ethnographic discourse analysis, China, new urban women, social mobility, patriarchy deconstruction
References
Almaqbali, I. S. H., Al Khufairi, F. M. A., Khan, M. S., Bhat, A. Z., and Ahmed, I. (2020). Web Scrapping: Data Extraction from Websites. Journal of Student Research, 6(1), 942.
Baylina, M., and Rodó-Zárate, M. (2020). Youth, activism and new rurality: A feminist approach. Journal of Rural Studies, 79, 189–196.
Beck, U., and Beck-Gernsheim, E. (2002). Individualization: Institutionalized Individualism and its Social and Political Consequences. SAGE Publications Ltd.
Blommaert, J., and Dong, J. (2010). Ethnographic Fieldwork: A Beginner’s Guide. Multilingual Matters.
Chan, T. W. (2018). Social mobility and the well-being of individuals. The British Journal of Sociology, 69(1), 183–206.
Chen, C., and Qin, B. (2014). The emergence of China’s middle class: Social mobility in a rapidly urbanizing economy. Habitat International, 44, 528-535.
Chen, Y. H. and Zong, H. (2023). “Kinship Disconnection”: Concepts, Issues and Reflections. Journal of Yangzhou University (Humanities and Social Science), 27 (03), 69-85.
Chen, Y., and Gong, Q. (2023). Unpacking “baby man” in Chinese social media: a feminist critical discourse analysis. Critical Discourse Studies, 1–18.
Cheng, Y., and Dai, J. (1995). Intergenerational Mobility in Modern China. European Sociological Review, 11(1), 17–35.
China Development Research Foundation. (2019). Chinese Residents’ Intergenerational Mobility: Status, Trends, and International Comparisons. https://www.cdrf.org.cn/jjh/pdf/224.pdf
Choi, Y., He, M., and Harachi, T. W. (2008). Intergenerational Cultural Dissonance, Parent-Child Conflict and Bonding, and Youth Problem Behaviors among Vietnamese and Cambodian Immigrant Families. Journal of youth and adolescence, 37(1), 85–96.
Clark, E., and Michailova, S. (Eds.). (2004). Fieldwork in transforming societies. Palgrave Macmillan.
Curl, H. D. (2013). The “ongoing culture shock” of upward mobility: Cultural capital, symbolic violence, and implications for family relationships [Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Douglas, M. (2003). Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo. Psychology Press.
Friedman, S. (2014). The Price of the Ticket: Rethinking the Experience of Social Mobility, Sociology, 48(2), 352–68.
Han, B. C. (2015). The Burnout Society. Stanford University Press.
Han, R. (2023). The impact of culture perception on kinship disconnection of Chinese youth: Examining the chain mediating effect of kinship support, kinship burnout, and social media interaction. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1226742.
Hine, C. (2000). Virtual Ethnography. SAGE Publications.
Hou, J., and Li, Y. X. (2020). Tension between Tradition and Modernity: Characteristics of Highly Educated Single Women from the Perspective of Individualization Theory. China Youth Study, 8, 5–12.
Hu, X. W., and Han, T. Z. (2022). Qingnian “duànqīn”: He yi fa sheng? He qu he cong? Zhongguo qingnian yanjiu, 5, 37–43.
Hymes, D. (1964). Language in Culture and Society: A Reader in Linguistics and Anthropology. Harper and Row.
Jin, Y. (2011). Mobile Patriarchy: Changes in the Mobile Rural Family. Social Sciences in China, 32, 26 – 43.
Koo, A., and Zhan, Y. (2023). Being a Valuable Daughter in a Rural Family: The Relational Identity and Empowered Gender Subjectivities of Female Vocational College Students. China Review, 23, 259 – 286.
Li, W.G. (2018). Study on the Misuse and Abuse of Poverty Culture Theory. Journal of China Agricultural University (Social Sciences), 05, 22-31.
Lin, S., Wu, F., Liang, Q., Li, Z., and Guo, Y. (2022). From hometown to the host city? Migrants’ identity transition in urban China. Cities, 122, 103567.
Liu, N. (2019). Analysis of the Impact of Social Mobility on Family Relationships: A Case Study of Floating Population in Beijing. Journal of Zhejiang University(Humanities and Social Sciences), 49(4), 119–131.
McNaught, C., and Lam, P. (2010). Using Wordle as a supplementary research tool. Qualitative Report, 15(3), 630-643.
National Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Final statistical monitoring report of “China Women’s Development Program (2011-2020)”. https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2021-12/21/content_5663667.htm
Piao, Y. M. (2012). Virtual Ethnography: The field, approach and ethics. Sociological Studies, (06), 217-236.
Sahlins, M. (2013). What Kinship Is—And Is Not. University of Chicago Press.
Shen, Y. (2016). Filial Daughters? Agency and Subjectivity of Rural Migrant Women in Shanghai. The China Quarterly, 226, 519 – 537.
Sorokin, P.A. (1959). Social and Cultural Mobility. Free Press.
Stark, L. P. (1991). Traditional gender role beliefs and individual outcomes: An exploratory analysis. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 24(9-10), 639–650.
The New York Times. (2018). Know your Chinese social media: User age distribution of Xiaohongshu in China as of January 2019 Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1053545/china-xiaohongshu-user-age-distribution/
Villanueva-Moya, L., Expósito, F. Are gender roles associated with well-being indicators? The role of femininity, fear of negative evaluation, and regret in decision-making in a Spanish sample. Curr Psychol, 42, 20790–20803 (2023).
Wang, P., Yao, J., Li, Y., Zhai, Y., Lu, S., and Huang, X. (2024). Understand Public Perspectives about “Industrial worker health” Based on Weibo Data: Content Analysis and Topic Modeling Study. https://assets.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4215640/v1/cc897cee-055f-42a7-878b-cdf663fcc397.pdf
Wang, Y., and Li, J. (2024). Changing discourses of Chinese language maintenance in Australia: Unpacking language ideologies of first-generation Chinese immigrant parents from People’s Republic of China. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1259398.
Wang, Z., Huang, W.J., and Liu L, B. (2022). Impact of user-generated travel posts on travel decisions: A comparative study on Weibo and Xiaohongshu. Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, 3(2), 100064.
Xin, O. (2024). Xiaohongshu’s user number (2015-2020). https://www.statista.com/statistics/1053577/china-xiaohongshu-user-number/
Yang, J., Cheng, C., and Bian, Y. (2016). Education and career mobility under China’s market economy: A pre-and post-reform comparative analysis. In Spotlight on China (pp. 245-265). Brill.
Yu, Z. Q. (2024). Chinese kinship break-off: the changes in contemporary kinship and the reconstruction of life pattern. Journal of Fujian Normal University(Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), (02), 94-104+170.
Zhou, D. M. (2022). Study on the relationship between the pattern of difference sequence and the Chinese people. Journal of Minzu University of China(Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), (01), 17-24.
Zhu, N., Peng, P., and Zou, R. (2015). The Effect of the Socioeconomic Status of a Family with Children with Special Needs and Social Support on the Parent-Child Relationship. Chinese Journal of Special Education, (09), 19-24.