The Expanding Search for Work: The Gender Gap in Livelihood Choices among the Rural Chinese, from 1989 to 2015

Similar to the rest of developing countries around the world, rural China has experienced rapid growth in the diversification and space expansion of their livelihood choices. However, little is known about the gender gap in the process of expanding. In this study, using the China Health and Nutrition Survey data from 1989 to 2015 and multilevel age, period, and cohort models, we examine the gender gap in livelihood choices of farming, local nonfarm, and distant nonfarming among rural residents over the period. Our study showed that women are constantly behind in taking nonfarming jobs compared with men, and there is no evidence of a convergence trend over time. Further analysis suggests that the family status of being married is the main obstacle for women to close the gap with men, while the gap between unmarried women and men has closed. When comparing the local vs. nonlocal nonfarming work, we found that the gender gap was resistant to close and has even slightly enlarged between married men and women over time. Our study has revealed a concerning trend for rural married women to close the gender gap in pursuing nonfarming occupations and expanding their space in livelihood choice in China.