The Role of Vocational Schooling in the Empowerment of Rural Migrant Girls in Western China: A Case Study of Ethnic Mongolian Girls.

Ethnic minority women in rural parts of China remain excluded from many pathways to economic and social success, including most forms of traditional education. While technical and vocational education and training (TVET) offers an alternative, it carries a degree of stigma and its benefits for these communities are not well-documented. This study uses structured interviews with TVET graduates in a small Inner Mongolian city to explore the benefits and limitations of vocational training for the cultural, economic, and social empowerment of ethnic minority women. Ten participants in the city of Eu-Qi participated in semi-structured interviews. They reported on their experiences in secondary and tertiary TVET programs, their post-graduation careers, and life choices. The study identifies an overall positive trend of empowerment, growth, and self-actualization: these young women lived better lives, had more opportunities, greater friendships, and far more freedom than did women of the previous generation who had remained in rural villages in the surrounding parts of the Mongolian plateau. The systemic barriers they faced were still substantial, however, including a limited local job market and the stigmas attached to vocational schools. Future work should systematically evaluate how well China's vocational training policies are meeting stated goals, especially in ethnic minority regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]