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State-Sponsored Precarity:The Paradox of Flexible Employment and “Mom-friendly Positions”in Zhongshan, China

Su, Di LU (2026) SIMZ21 20251
Master of Science in Social Studies of Gender
Abstract
To examine the“Mom-friendly Positions”(alsoknownas“MamaGang”)policy
introduced in Zhongshan City in 2022,this study follows a Critical Realist
perspective and employs a qualitative case study method,using in-depth interviews with middle-incom emothers and local policy officers.The policy aims to help mothers return to the work force by offering flexible working opportunities in response to demographic challenges and post-pandemic economic changes.The findings reveal a mechanism of“State-Sponsored Precarity”.Economically,mothers are trapped in a“subsistence trap,”trading labour rights and social security for care time.With in households,patriarchal resistance and strategic incompetence have stalled the gender revolution,leaving mothers... (More)
To examine the“Mom-friendly Positions”(alsoknownas“MamaGang”)policy
introduced in Zhongshan City in 2022,this study follows a Critical Realist
perspective and employs a qualitative case study method,using in-depth interviews with middle-incom emothers and local policy officers.The policy aims to help mothers return to the work force by offering flexible working opportunities in response to demographic challenges and post-pandemic economic changes.The findings reveal a mechanism of“State-Sponsored Precarity”.Economically,mothers are trapped in a“subsistence trap,”trading labour rights and social security for care time.With in households,patriarchal resistance and strategic incompetence have stalled the gender revolution,leaving mothers to bear amodernized double burden. Institutionally,the public sector exhibits“fragmented governance”and“outsourced precarization,”while protections in the private sector rely on individual discretion rather than systematic regulation.The study concludes that although the policy has successfully mobilized female labour,it also institutionalizes a secondary labour market,effectively shifting the structural costs of social reproduction onto vulnerable mothers. (Less)
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author
Su, Di LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMZ21 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Mom-friendlyPositions, FlexibleEmployment, StateFeminism, PrecariousLabour, CareCrisis, State-SponsoredPrecarity
language
English
additional info
** Automatic update: Record was moved from International Office (LURS00001) to Master of Science in Social Studies of Gender (LURS00003) at 2026-02-09 11:34:27
id
9221937
date added to LUP
2026-02-05 13:18:40
date last changed
2026-02-09 11:34:27
@misc{9221937,
  abstract     = {{To examine the“Mom-friendly Positions”(alsoknownas“MamaGang”)policy 
introduced in Zhongshan City in 2022,this study follows a Critical Realist 
perspective and employs a qualitative case study method,using in-depth interviews with middle-incom emothers and local policy officers.The policy aims to help mothers return to the work force by offering flexible working opportunities in response to demographic challenges and post-pandemic economic changes.The findings reveal a mechanism of“State-Sponsored Precarity”.Economically,mothers are trapped in a“subsistence trap,”trading labour rights and social security for care time.With in households,patriarchal resistance and strategic incompetence have stalled the gender revolution,leaving mothers to bear amodernized double burden. Institutionally,the public sector exhibits“fragmented governance”and“outsourced precarization,”while protections in the private sector rely on individual discretion rather than systematic regulation.The study concludes that although the policy has successfully mobilized female labour,it also institutionalizes a secondary labour market,effectively shifting the structural costs of social reproduction onto vulnerable mothers.}},
  author       = {{Su, Di}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{State-Sponsored Precarity:The Paradox of Flexible Employment and “Mom-friendly Positions”in Zhongshan, China}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}