HKU Bulletin September 2007 (Vol. 9 No. 1)

6 7 “Employers should buy social security premiums for these employees so they can gain some of these benefits, but research tells us that only a small portion of these workers are covered, resulting in people leading stressful, marginalized lives. “One of the major stresses is employment and financial-related difficulties – long working hours, lack of social security and bullying by the employers. Interpersonal tensions are the other major area of stress. The symptoms include obsessive compulsion, anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity. These migrants are excluded from society in the cities, they are being discriminated against quite badly and are seen as coming in to take others’ jobs.” But how does this marginalized experience affect their mental health? Wong has found that 25 per cent of the male population and about six per cent of women are at risk of developing mental illness. “It’s very interesting that there is such a difference in the numbers. Men in this composition are usually married and are traditionally expected to be the breadwinner. So there’s a lot of pressure on them to find, and maintain a job and to send money home,” said Wong. “As for the females, they have less expectation placed on them, so although they do contribute to the family they don’t have the same amount of work stress. Also many women find it liberating to escape the countryside, their jobs increase their autonomy and their pride. They see migration as a means of personal achievement.” Wong concludes that one of the major culprits of poor mental health might be the hukou system. “The measures are in place to protect the migrants,” he said. “It’s a question of exercising the policy.” One way of regulating it would be to set up a governmental body to oversee the welfare of the migrants. “This is not a problem that is going to go away. The central government is very aware of this, but so far it has not found the best solution to deal with the issue.” The Stresses of China on the Move A lthough China’s economic growth and the changes in its demographic profile have been analysed and studied by many, little attention has been given to the psycho-social implications of the rapid changes the country has experienced in recent years. For that very reason Dr Daniel Wong Fu Keung, Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, has been gathering data on migration and mental health on the Mainland. And by collaborating with his former students, now at the East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai, he has found that the migrant’s lot is not always a happy one. “There are about 98 million people living in cities in China now. They mainly come from the middle part of China and go to the richer eastern cities like Shanghai, Shenzhen, Canton,” he said. “One of the major reasons for the trend is the urban-rural income differential. In the poor areas a lot of these people live on the land and have no income. Whereas if they go to the city they are able to earn about 800 to 1,000 RMB a month, which is a very substantial difference for them. “Another thing is that the central government’s encouragement of industry and foreign investments of these coastal cities means that they need more labour. The migrants end up working in factories, construction and service industry.” However, the large number of people moving to the cities is causing concern. Many of the stresses associated with internal migration are a result of China’s household registration system, known in Mandarin the hukou system. As Wong explained, “Everyone in China is assigned a residency and if they live in the rural area they are not allowed to live in the city. Also, if they are not living in the correct area they will not be entitled to welfare benefits. So country migrants who move to Shanghai are not entitled to housing, medical or unemployment benefits or to schooling for their children. RESEARCH