Governance, Gender and the Appropriation of Natural Resources: A Case Study of ‘Left-Behind’ Women’s Collective Action in China

Abstract

China's rapid urbanization has created opportunities for many peoplepredominantly men -to migrate from rural to urban areas in search of work, leaving their farms and families. This has resulted in many villages being dominated by a large population of 'left-behind' women. This situation has required these women not only to take responsibility for their own domestic and farming duties, but also increasingly to get involved in local governance, particularly in trying to prevent the appropriation of collective natural resources. Based on a case study in a typical village in central China, this paper explores an example of women's collective action to prevent the over-exploitation of collectively owned sand resources. As the case study illustrates, although previously denied the opportunity to participate in local politics and governance, the 'left behind' women have seized the initiative and have demonstrated the capacity to impose their will, through a mix of toughness, flexibility and endurance. As a consequence, the study demonstrates that, when empowered to act, the left-behind women are as capable as anyone of defending their community's resources. This new approach to collective action over natural resource management therefore suggests that rural-urban migration has not been a wholly negative phenomenon for those left behind. On the contrary, it has created a space in which those who were previously denied access to local politics can assert not only their right to govern, but also their aptitude for the types of action that are required to defend collectively-owned resources.

Responsibility-driven collective action in the context of rapid rural depopulation

“…This means that only the elderly, mothers and children are left in the village. This is a common situation in rural China, regardless of how close villages are to the cities (Du et al, 2019). The village has also faced significant environmental problems such as river encroachment and water pollution, illegal building development spoiling the quality of the landscape, sanitary waste dumping and unregulated poultry farming.…”

“…Thus, conventionally the emphasis of collective action has been on the other motivating factors, particularly efficacy. Yet in few cases in rural communities in China have those remaining after depopulation stood up for their rights, even where it would be justifiable to have done so (Du et al, 2019). The socio-psychological explanation for this lack of action is that villagers have tended to make their decisions about whether to engage or not on the basis of their perception of others' action.…”

“…Lastly, the social identity of participants may contribute to the initiation and mobilization of collective action: when people have a strong common identity, such as the same career or blood relationship, they are more willing to fight for their common interests (Thomas et al, 2016). This strand of explanation is likely to be relevant to the case of a Chinese village, although the sense of belonging is now quite weak in many villages after the disruption of village structures due to depopulation (Du et al, 2019).…”

“…Research in developing countries such as India and China indicate that the characteristics of village groups are also quite important, especially those with strong clan traditions. Even the vulnerable groups, such as left-behind women in hollowing out villages, when empowered, show a strong capacity for self-organization and collective action (Du et al, 2019).…”

“…But the size and vitality of this group will inevitably decline as time goes by. It is not at all clear how they will be replaced, although some studies have found that other social groups, such as the ' left-behind' village women can be equally effective in fostering collective action (Du et al, 2019).…”