This article presents recent findings from a survey conducted in Beijing, China, among the migrant population. Findings indicate that Beijing had 2.877 million migrants in 1995. 36.6% of migrants were women. One of every 5 women in the household registration system in Beijing was a migrant. Women migrants originated from the following provinces: Zhejiang (17.7% of total female migrants), Hebei (17.5%), Anhui (15.3%), Henan (12.3%)), Sichuan (6.6%), and Shandong (5.5%). 68.7% of female migrants lived in suburban districts. 35.6% lived in Fentai District and 25.6% lived in Haidan district. 11.8% were 0-14 years old, and 81.8% were 15-29 years old. 13.6% were illiterate. (Illiteracy was higher among migrant women than resident women.) 31.7% had primary schooling, and 43.2% had junior middle schooling. 8.6% had senior middle schooling, and 2.5% had college education. The average years of schooling were 7.3 years for women migrants and 8.5 years for male migrants. Women migrants were employed primarily in unskilled manual laborer positions. The number of unskilled labor opportunities is expected to increase as domestic household functions are filled by service industries. About 36% lived in cheap inns and hostels, and about 10% lived in shanty housing near construction sites. Many women migrants lived in housing specifically designated for migrants. The average stay was 20.3 months, or 2.7 months longer than for male migrants. 49.3% of women migrants were married, and 36.8% were single. 14% were childless. 49.4% had 1 child, 28.5% had 2 children, and 8.1% had 3 or more children. 13.4% gave birth to a child while in Beijing. 15.6% of births were unplanned. 81.5% of migrant women used contraception.

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residential mobility China economics population demography developing country Population Dynamics Developing Countries Asia Far East socioeconomic status Eastern Asia social status Socioeconomic Factors Migrants--women socioeconomics Article rural-urban migration migration population and population related phenomena Demographic Factors Emigration and Immigration Economic Factors Transients and Migrants social class Population Characteristics