The Ambivalence Experience Of Family Relationship Among Married Migrant Women

During the process of social transition in contemporary Chinese society, family life in China are facing very profound changes, such as population mobility from rural to urban, family structure of diversified development, and constantly revising of traditional moral values and ethical orders. It is of special significance for social workers to understand the changes and trends of Chinese family relations in the period of social transformation by researching married migrant women, who are now not only being seen as the link between countryside and city, but also the intersection of tradition and modernity. Traditional binary adverse perspective of "untie versus conflict theory" can hardly elaborate the complexity and ambivalence of the modern family relations. Based on the "Ambivalence Theory" and the view of" Ambivalence", this research makes a thorough inquiry of the influence of individual and the structure to married migrant women's family relationships under Chinese traditional culture background.This research interviewed 14 married women from Henan Province who are now lived in Shanghai by using "Qualitative Research method". During the interview, we research the main experiences, causes and interaction strategies of ambivalence in their marriage relations, mother families connections, and relationships between mother-in-law respectively. By Classifying and finding out the logical relationship and meanings of each ambivalence experience, we identify the themes of Ambivalent relationship.This research is mainly focused on the following four aspects:Firstly, married migrant women's ambivalence experience existing in the relationship between themselves and their couples, mother families and mother-in-law are characterized with "Rural Migrants", "Female roles" and "married women", owing to their uniqueness.Secondly, by using the method of permutation & combination, the positive and negative effect of individual and structure will cause six kinds of family relationships. Ambivalence forms occupy a large proportion of these relations, and what's more, they can transform to untie and conflict pattern. By using the variability of ambivalence, we can promote the harmony of family relationship by adjusting the positive and negative factors of individual and structure.Thirdly, the three kinds of relationship mentioned in this work can interplay with each other, and it is feasible to adjust the other two kinds of nexus by improving the relationship between husband and wife.The last but not the least, the interactive strategies implemented in married migrant women's ambivalence relationship explain the profound wisdom of "ren", "introspection" and "self-denial", " Consonance and compromising " which are inherited from Chinese traditional cultural, and it also exemplify the thoughts of Chinese people pursuit of "harmony" and "moderation". But, this is at the cost of suppressing individual needs.In this research we put forward four strategies for social worker intervening to married migrant women's family relationships:?) Analysis and understand of family relationships of married migrant women by the view of ambivalence; ?) Advocating family system assessment and intervention work ideas; ?) Promoting coordination between personal and social role expectations; ?) Enhancing social support for married migrant women.