Carlo John B. Arceo, Jixia Lu,Dongsheng Wang.2025.Self-care in transnational migrant households:body-mapping of stressors and care strategies of Chinese women stayers

Self-care in transnational migrant households:body-mapping of stressors and care strategies of Chinese women stayers

Carlo John B. Arceo, Jixia Lu,Dongsheng Wang

Correspongding Author:Jixia Lu  e-mail:lujx@cau.edu.cn

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, First published: 21 Aug 2025

Abrtract:Over the past decade, arguments on migration as a livelihood in rural China have focused on labour reallocation, household power dynamics, women’s triple roles, and stayers’ well-being. Wherein, care for the dependent population’s well-being dominates empirical works. This paper explores the strategies employed by the wives of Chinese miners in Ghana who stay behind to cope with the stress caused by their husbands’ migration. The data collection was conducted in January 2023 and produced nine body maps from women stayers in Shanglin County, Guangxi, China. Through body mapping, stayers articulated their physical and psychological stressors and self-care strategies. This paper critiques egalitarian liberal feminism by highlighting how gendered care ideology is deeply embedded in cultural norms and principles which underpin the gendered division of labour of men engaging in paid employment while women in unpaid care work, which neglects self-care. We argue that the destabilisation of household dynamics due to a spouse’s outmigration does not necessarily lead to women stayers’ autonomy; rather, it creates an ambivalent situation where stayers are often burdened and stressed by becoming de facto heads of the transnational household. In coping with these situations, stayers actively choose and utilise their care strategies.

Keywords:  Care ethics; body-mapping; cultural norms; technologies of the self; feminism

Self-care in transnationalmigrant households  body-mapping of stressors and care strategies ofChinese women stayers.pdf

To link to this artical:  https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2025.2547865