The gendered reflections of stayers in China’s migrant sending villages

This article draws on my interviews with middle-aged stayers in rural China's eastern interior the early to mid-2010s explore interactions between gender and non-migration. I use concept of ‘spatial reflexivity’ – individuals' reflections their potential for (im)mobility examine how different stayers' about non-migration were affected by both wider mobility imperatives attachments family, each which is gendered. find that respondents' spatial reflexivity was inseparable from perception villages as home fort, stepping-stone or sanctuary, these perceptions partly reflective households' non/involvement migration economic conditions. At same time, views interacted context-specific gendered ideas space, obligation competence, affect what staying meant them. concludes even an actively worked out process, mediated constrained multi-scalar inequalities, turn naturalized a pervasive moral geography.