The thesis examines the interdependent relationships between gender roles in the family and internal migration in China. Study I explains gender differences in labor migration outcomes from the perspective of the migration intention-behavior link. Study II investigates how men’s and women’s marriage and family status are related to their first labor migration and whether these associations change across birth cohorts. Study III examines how having a migrant spouse affects the non-migrant husband’s and wife’s housework time and whether this impact is moderated by intergenerational co-residence. Study IV explores the relationship between married couples’ joint migration and housework dynamics, especially the intra-couple gender division of housework. 

Overall, this thesis has contributed to a better understanding of why Chinese men have higher migration risks than Chinese women. It demonstrates that Chinese individuals’ gender roles in the family are an important underpinning of the gender differentials in migration propensities. This thesis has also highlighted the inertia of the traditional gender role division in migrants’ families, casting doubt on the often-argued narrative about the potential of migration to unsettle the unequal gender relations in family life in China.