The primary factors pushing Chinese women to sell sex overseas are the demand for economic stability, socio-cultural inequality, and the escape from distressing gender roles. Women represent almost half of the Chinese population and control the country’s financial strength, which requires higher earnings. China’s society is driven by the need to be finically productive and high living standards, which demand more capital.
The sociocultural inequality and economic gap between the rich and poor are massive in China, pushing low- and middle-class households to get more wealth to fit in the elite society. As a result, women are more open to overseas employment, such as selling sex, to raise their living standards and give their families a position in society. According to Chin and Finckenauer, 54% of the women interviewed were driven into commercial sex overseas to make money for personal upkeep and create wealth.
Women who left their families behind explain that their motivation to sell sex comes from the dependents’ demand to have better lives which pushes them to make more money for their upkeep and send home to take care of their relatives. Additionally, the decline in the rural economy, poor agricultural production, and natural disasters strain the financial development of women in rural areas. Migrating to the city and developed towns to get employment requires skills and qualifications that limit their employment opportunities. Thus, when the opportunity arises to make money overseas, the women willingly travel abroad through hazardous conditions to make ends meet.
China’s culture and gender roles significantly contribute to the migration of women overseas. The country’s rules are stricter on men than women giving women more freedom to move around. For instance, when men go for military training, women are the sole providers in the family and must work to cater to the dependent’s needs. With the high global economy and increased living standards, families require more capital to make ends meet. Thus, women prefer selling sex overseas since it offers higher wages than local commercial sex jobs.
Chinese women with informal education also travel overseas to earn better salaries since the available jobs in the country are unsustainable financially. Apart from minimal wages, China’s population growth limits the availability of employment opportunities regardless of skills and qualifications, making the women run overseas to earn a living.
Some women engage in commercial sex overseas because China prohibits and discourages local prostitution. The business is under scrutiny and crackdown by authorities, making it hard for women to have a constant flow of jobs and income. China has stringent rules and punishments for women practicing prostitution, such as prolonged detentions without trial, counsel defense, or appeal to authorities. Institutions that trade in selling sex locally usually offer minimal wages and violate the women sexually since they cannot complain to the rules on charges of sexual maltreatment. In such circumstances, the women travel overseas willingly to become commercial sex workers since the business is promising overseas, such as in the United States and Thailand.
Social strains also push women to sell sex overseas due to societal pressure and unrealistic demands. Chinese culture promotes gender inequalities; for example, husbands are the heads of the family and make all decisions that suppress women’s rights. Women who get fed up with unhealthy relationships seek better lives overseas as sex workers to gain freedom and financial stability. Others also travel to other countries to escape marital problems and violence in relationships which undermine their human rights.