Kao, Grace

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Disciplines
Asian American Studies
Educational Sociology
Inequality and Stratification
Race and Ethnicity
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Sociology
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Position
Professor of Sociology
Introduction
Grace Kao is Professor of Sociology, Education, and Asian American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where she has taught since 1997. She received her Ph.D. (1997) in Sociology from The University of Chicago, A.M. (1992) in Sociology from The University of Chicago, and A.B. (1990) in Sociology and Oriental Languages (Chinese Literature) from the University of California, Berkeley.
Research Interests
Adolescence
Asian American Studies
Immigration and Immigrant Adaptation
Race and Ethnicity
Sociology
Sociology of Education

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  • Publication
    It's Not Just About the Money: Motivations for Youth Migration in Rural China
    (2013-02-18) Chiang, Yilin; Kao, Grace
    This study investigates the incentives for labor migration of youth in rural China using panel data from the Gansu Survey of Children and Families, a longitudinal study of youth in rural Gansu Province of China. We investigate the individual and altruistic economic motivations featured prominently in demographic and economic research on migration. However, we propose that the non-economic goal of personal development, a motivation suggested in numerous qualitative studies of women migrants in China and elsewhere, is also important, especially for young migrants. Analyzes indicate that, while young men and young women hold different motivations for migration, the desire for personal development is a common motivator for young migrants. Results suggest that non-economic incentives may play an important role in youth migration in rural China and that positioning in family structures shapes the susceptibility of individuals to migrate due to altruistic economic motivations.
  • Publication
    It’s Not Just about the Money: Gender and Youth Migration from Rural China
    (2015-01-01) Chiang, Yilin; Kao, Grace
    Statistics suggest that young men and women in China migrate at almost equal numbers, but we know less about gender differences in the decision to migrate. We examine the factors associated with migration decisions and the rationales given by young migrants. Our results are consistent with previous figures and show no overall gender differences in susceptibility to migration. However, we find that a sibship structure operates differently on the decisions of boys and girls. We also found that young men were more likely to report that they had moved for purposes of starting a business or personal development than young women, while young women were more likely to report that they had moved to support the tuition of a family member. We argue that, despite the gender parity of the migrant youth population, gender shapes migration decisions by affecting the family circumstances and migration motivations of men and women.
  • Publication
    Who Goes, Who Stays, and Who Studies? Gender, Migration, and Educational Decisions among Rural Youth in China
    (2012-05-25) Chiang, Yilin; Kao, Grace
    Little is known about what affects the decision to migrate in China, despite the estimated 145 million rural migrants that reside in urban areas as of 2009. Drawing on a survey of youth from 100 villages in Gansu Province, we analyze migration and education decisions, with a focus on disparities associated with gender, sibship structure, and academic performance. Results show modest gender differences favoring boys in educational migration, but no gender differences in the overall likelihood of labor migration. Youth with older sisters are less likely to migrate, while youth with younger brothers are more likely to migrate. For girls, having older sisters is also negatively related to being a local or a migrant student, and better early academic performance is related to educational migration. For boys, labor migration may serve as a backup plan in the event of failing the high school entrance examination. Overall, results shed more light on the factors shaping educational migration than labor migration.
  • Publication
    Who Goes, Who Stays, and Who Studies? Gender, Migration, and Educational Decisions among Rural Youth in China
    (2012-05-25) Chiang, Yilin; Hannum, Emily C.; Kao, Grace
    Little is known about what affects the decision to migrate in China, despite the estimated 145 million rural migrants that reside in urban areas as of 2009. Drawing on a survey of youth from 100 villages in Gansu Province, we analyze migration and education decisions, with a focus on disparities associated with gender, sibship structure, and academic performance. Results show modest gender differences favoring boys in educational migration, but no gender differences in the overall likelihood of labor migration. Youth with older sisters are less likely to migrate, while youth with younger brothers are more likely to migrate. For girls, having older sisters is also negatively related to being a local or a migrant student, and better early academic performance is related to educational migration. For boys, labor migration may serve as a backup plan in the event of failing the high school entrance examination. Overall, results shed more light on the factors shaping educational migration than labor migration.