Generation division caused by the poor second generation, the rich second generation, the second generation outside the system and the second generation inside the system ... has become a prominent problem in China during the transition period. What is the reason for the second generation differentiation? What problems need to be solved? How to face intergenerational differentiation? Recently, our reporter walked into the "second generation" group to understand their living conditions and psychological characteristics, reveal the deep-seated reasons for intergenerational differentiation, and explore ways and methods to solve them. compilers
"Marginal People" Wandering between Urban and Rural Areas
Second generation migrant workers yearns for the city? But because of the household registration? Family background and other reasons are not accepted by the city.
For almost two years, Wang Dong has been working in Jinzhan Township, Chaoyang District. In the 1990s, Wang Dong's parents went to work in Jinzhan Township from their hometown in Chaohu, Anhui. A few years later, he came here with his parents and finished primary school and junior high school in the school for children of migrant workers. But because he didn't have a hukou, Xiao Wang couldn't take the college entrance examination. After graduating from junior high school, he had to go back to his hometown in Anhui and be admitted to a junior college there. In 2009, he returned to Jinzhan Township after graduating from junior college, but he has never found a stable job and can only do odd jobs in a nearby small factory.
No hukou means that Wang can't enjoy social security and public services. Both parents are migrant workers, and Wang Dong has no available social resources. Monthly salary 1000 yuan or more has become a distant dream. Talking about the future life, Wang Dong looked blank: "I don't want to go back to my hometown, but I can't see the future in the city. Let's stay here and look for opportunities. "
Wang Dong's living condition is a true portrayal of most second-generation migrant workers. In recent years, there are indeed some second-generation migrant workers who have got rid of poverty and achieved their careers through their own efforts, but most of them still wander between urban and rural areas and become "marginal people" because of poor family conditions and difficult living conditions. They come from the countryside, but they are alienated from the countryside because they live in the city; They yearn for the city, but they are not accepted by the city because of life pressure, household registration, family background and other reasons, so it is difficult to share the happiness of modern life.
In the investigation, the reporter found that compared with their parents, the second generation of migrant workers also have their own remarkable characteristics. They have received a certain degree of education, can wear suits and ties, like to use new styles, and speak Mandarin well. Besides work, they also like to think about their future, although this kind of planning is often a distant dream.
Lee Huan is 18 years old. As long as he can remember, his parents left him at his grandparents' home in Shandong while he went out to work. Due to the lack of supervision and discipline, Li Huan's study was poor, and he didn't want to continue his study in junior high school, so he followed his parents.
"When I first came here, I was fascinated by the colorful city life and I was very excited." Lee Huan said. But it didn't take him long to find that although it was good, not many people belonged to their family. His parents work in Tongzhou District and live in a small and messy room. They are so tired that they fall asleep every day and have little free time.
/kloc-At the age of 0/6, Li Huan got his first job as a handyman in the factory where his parents worked. In less than three months, he resigned. "I'm too tired to work. I can't do it at all. " Lee Huan said that after that, he worked as a waiter in a restaurant, placing orders on the street, and his job was always changing.
When it comes to future plans, Lee Huan is very simple: "Take it one step at a time. What are your plans?" ? For me now, I don't expect to settle down, settle down and have a child. I hope to earn some capital and do business in the future. "
Experts believe that in the face of the confusion of the new generation of migrant workers, we cannot ask them to return to the countryside and work with peace of mind; We can't just accuse them of enjoying themselves. They have the right to improve their living conditions. Accelerate the reform of household registration, employment, social security, rural land and other related systems, eliminate the institutional obstacles that cause urban-rural differences and inequality between workers and peasants as soon as possible, and gradually break the dual management model between urban and rural areas to provide them with a broader space for survival and development in cities.
Looking for a job can't be a game of "fighting dad"
To a certain extent, it is often not grades and abilities that determine the employment status of college graduates, but family background and social relations.
Recently, two articles on the Internet have attracted a lot of people's attention. One is "It took me 18 years to finish my coffee with you", which describes that it took years of hard work for people from poor families to reach the same living standard as the rich. This is a true portrayal of the college entrance examination changing fate. Later, an article titled "I still can't have coffee with you after using 18 years" appeared on the Internet. The author described in detail his embarrassment in college and after graduation, reflecting the huge gap caused by different family backgrounds. No matter how hard he tried, it didn't help.
"Knowledge changes fate" was once a resounding saying. This sentence, once regarded as the truth by countless people, has now attracted many questions. In recent years, many college graduates have found that, to a certain extent, their employment status no longer depends on their achievements and abilities, but on their family background and social relations. To paraphrase an online saying: "Finding a job has become a" father-fighting "game for parents' wealth and power". According to a survey conducted by a media in seven universities in Zhejiang and Henan, 70% of the 500 interviewees think that they are more or less under the pressure of family situation in job hunting, and 65% of the fresh graduates are most worried about family situation, which puts them at a disadvantage in job hunting.
Du Chun is a graduate student in the journalism department of a university in Sichuan. From the second year of research, he went to a media internship. Because of the rare opportunity, Du Chun usually works very hard, works hard and never complains. His performance was recognized, and the internship unit verbally promised to come to work after graduation. However, in the final application stage, Du Chun didn't get any position. Afterwards, he realized that most of the finalists were related, at least recommended by relevant leaders. He didn't have any network resources and could only accept the result.
Comparatively speaking, Sun Yu is very lucky. As a farmer's child with no "relationship", Sun Yu successfully entered a large state-owned financial enterprise after graduating from college last year, and the welfare treatment was very good. However, during the induction training, he saw several new colleagues who did not appear in the previous written test and interview. He thought the other party was an employee who made up the recruitment. Later, after listening to colleagues, he realized that his family had already arranged work. "There is no need to take a written test and interview, and the indicators are directly given by the headquarters." Sun Yu said.
After work, Sun Yu is also a little depressed. I often have to do some thankless work because I don't want to offend those new colleagues who have connections. "I am too tired to speak, and I have to be criticized for not doing well." Sun Yu said: "But what can a' poor second generation' like me do except work hard? Moreover, my current job has been envied by many people. "
In the interview, the reporter found that college students are very rational when they look at "employment difficulties" and think that many factors have led to this phenomenon. They don't complain too much about the recruitment failure caused by their lack of ability and experience. However, if you lose because your family background is not as good as others, you will always feel distressed.
A university teacher in a university said frankly that under normal circumstances, it is easier to rise from the "bottom layer" to the "mass layer", and as long as you work hard, there will always be corresponding returns. "Judging from the graduate students I have taught, it is not difficult for them to enter academia, institutions or media at the beginning of graduation and start their own careers. But if you want to go up, it's not that simple. Personal efforts are only one of the reference factors. " The teacher said, we don't deny that some of them will successfully break through and stand out, but more people can only "forget everyone" step by step.
Of course, on the other hand, "relationship" is not enough. If the ability fails to meet the basic requirements, the "relationship" will not be so good. Teacher Yang, who works in the graduate school of Zhejiang University, believes that although everyone can't choose their own family background, the "poor second generation" has no background and has nothing to do with some people, but as long as they adjust their mentality and work hard the day after tomorrow, they can gradually improve their economic situation. Of course, the game of "fighting dad" exists, but under the condition that the status quo has not changed obviously, we should not just complain, but be more active. The "poor second generation" should pay more attention to the improvement of their own abilities.
Reduce the worry of "poverty hereditary"
Strengthen the openness and transparency of the employment market, accelerate the reform of the household registration system, and promote the equalization of public services.
Not long ago, some young people with low incomes publicly expressed their reluctance to give birth to the "poor third generation" on the Internet, on the grounds that the children of the "poor second generation" lost at the starting line from the beginning and were doomed to struggle in a difficult environment, making it even more difficult to change the fate of hereditary poverty. Besides, they are already "slaves". If they have children and bear a heavy economic burden, they will become "child slaves". Will they live in a "slave society" all their lives?
Some people may say that they don't want to have "poor three generations", which reveals that some young people only know how to enjoy reality, have poor psychological quality and are too pessimistic about future expectations. This view is not unreasonable. However, instead of discussing why the "poor second generation" have no confidence to have children, it is better to face up to their voice of improving their lives and expecting fairness. Their reluctance to have "poor three generations" vividly reflects their worries about the intergenerational transmission of poverty and the increasingly solidified social class.
Professor Guo Dashui from the School of Management of Nankai University believes that compared with the beginning of reform and opening up, there has indeed been a certain degree of class solidification, and the opportunities for members of the bottom society to change their identities and move upward are decreasing. "An important reason for this phenomenon is the social gap between generations, which leads to the uneven distribution of social resources such as education. If this situation is not changed, it will be very unfavorable to promote the rational flow of social classes and social harmony and stability. "
According to experts, since 10, the income gap in China has been widening, and the Gini coefficient is close to 0.5. The income growth of the bottom workers in society is seriously depressed, which is the direct cause of the "poor second generation". On the other hand, institutional obstacles reduce social mobility opportunities and increase mobility costs. For example, education is the most important social mobility mechanism in modern society. However, due to the comprehensive fees and employment difficulties after the enrollment expansion of colleges and universities, it is increasingly difficult for children from poor families to flow upward through education.
Fundamentally speaking, the reason for class solidification is that social construction lags far behind economic reform. Over the years, we have adhered to the principle of "giving priority to efficiency and giving consideration to fairness". In fact, we have been so eager for growth that we have allocated resources that should have been allocated to the social field to the economic field. Some untimely policies were not adjusted in time, which seriously eroded people's fair access to resources. The United States, Japan and Latin America finally got completely different results after the economic take-off. The fundamental reason lies in whether the system reform and social construction are implemented in time and correctly.
Guo Dashui believes that many system designs are actively protecting the rights and interests of vulnerable groups, such as the strict recruitment system for civil servants and the promulgation of the labor contract law, but it is imperative to strengthen enforcement. To curb the increasingly fierce "dad-fighting" game, we need to strengthen institutional constraints, enhance the openness and transparency of the job market, and increase the punishment for "related households" in employment. We should start from the grassroots level, promote the rational flow of social members, bridge the gap between the two generations, and let the "poor second generation" feel that their lives have begun and believe that they can change their destiny by their own efforts.
It is worth noting that the "poor second generation" has weak human capital and few social resources, so it is difficult to get rid of the predicament on their own. This requires the introduction of external forces. Guo Dashui suggested that we should strengthen the investment in human capital of the "poor second generation", especially the training for second generation migrant workers, so that they can have a foothold in the city. At the same time, accelerate the reform of the household registration system, promote the equalization of public services, and give full play to the protection of vulnerable groups.
(Some interviewees in the article are pseudonyms)
Poverty should not be inherited.
Hito
The inheritance of poverty is terrible, and the danger is even more terrible if the poor lack the opportunity and mechanism to change their destiny. The "poor second generation" needs the support and help of the whole society to change their destiny.
"The high price makes us helpless and embarrassed; Once the ideal is more distant. I know 30 years of unbearable pain. Who knows the struggle of the' poor second generation'? " On the Internet, a post of a 20-year-old "poor second generation" expressed many people's voices.
In the second year of the new century, 10 years, more post-80s will enter the standing year. Is it a car, a proud workplace or a happy marriage? The word "Li" has put a heavy pressure on the generation that grew up after the reform and opening up.
It is even harder for the "poor second generation" to stand up at the age of 30.
Since the reform and opening up, our wealth has been increasing, but the income gap is also increasing. A survey report of the new generation of migrant workers released by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions shows that the average monthly income of the new generation of migrant workers is 1748 yuan, which is only 57.4% of the average monthly income of employees in urban enterprises. At the same time, it is lower than traditional migrant workers 167 yuan, and their income is obviously lower than that of their parents. Even after graduating from college, children of most rural families and urban low-income families still face a series of problems such as employment and marriage after graduation. Compared with the second generation of other classes, they are always in a weak position.
The "poor second generation" is an unbalanced distribution of wealth and resources. In the process of reform and opening up, the "rich second generation" who seized the opportunity accumulated capital and passed it on to the "rich second generation" to gain wealth advantages; The "second generation" enjoys more priority by relying on the social resources mastered by their parents. The "poor second generation" has a low income and a low starting point, and lives at the bottom of society.
The "poor second generation" is a problem of unfair opportunities. In some areas, harsh natural conditions and insufficient investment in education have intensified the competition between the "second generation" who are not at the same starting line. Even if they are admitted to the university through hard work, the high tuition fees make it difficult for many families to support. Due to the lack of network resources, the reality of Adventure Island makes the situation of the "poor second generation" worse. Coupled with a series of livelihood problems such as rising prices, high prices and difficulty in seeing a doctor, their confidence in life has been further weakened.
The inheritance of poverty is terrible, and the danger is even more terrible if the poor lack the opportunity and mechanism to change their destiny. The "poor second generation" who have no network resources and lack social support must make more efforts to change their destiny. In this process, it is difficult to achieve it by relying solely on the "poor second generation" and it needs the support and help of the whole society.
On the one hand, the whole society should provide more employment opportunities for the "poor second generation", improve unemployment relief and social security, and give them room to turn around; What is more important is to create fair opportunities and let the "poor second generation" see the hope of changing their destiny. Because compared with the inequality of income gap, people can't tolerate the inequality of opportunity. Household registration restrictions, employment thresholds ... Behind the inequality of opportunities, what is actually deprived is the right to choose personal development, which is the opportunity and qualification for individuals to participate in competition. This is the fundamental root of class solidification and intergenerational differentiation.
In order to ensure fair opportunities, we must attach importance to education. It is necessary to give priority to ensuring investment in education, and to distribute educational resources fairly to achieve balanced development of education. Secondly, eliminate the thresholds of employment, household registration and housing, restrain the abuse of power, prevent breeding, provide equal possibilities for everyone to participate in social competition and achieve class jump, eliminate the "poor heart disease" of the "poor second generation" from the source, and let them put down their burdens and move forward easily.
As a generation that grew up after the reform and opening up, the "poor second generation" should also carry forward the fine tradition of hard struggle of their parents, dare to fight hard, never give up, and strive to control their own destiny in the future competition.