Intersectional analysis of discrimination on perceived job insecurity among young Chinese women—based on FsQCA method

Many studies have focused on the impact of discrimination based on various identities on perceived job insecurity, but few have considered the cumulative effect of multiple forms of discrimination on young Chinese women's perceived job insecurity. By employing an intersectional analytical framework and utilizing data from the Chinese social survey 2021, this paper applies necessary condition analysis (NCA) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) as research methodologies. The study examines the intersectional effects of six types of discrimination and identifies key configurational pathways that influence perceived job insecurity among young women. The findings reveal that none of the six types of discrimination can be considered a necessary condition for high perceived job insecurity individually; rather, it is the combined impact of different discrimination combinations that leads to increased perceived job insecurity. Through a comprehensive analysis of multiple discrimination configurations, the study identifies four distinct types of pathways that contribute to young women's lack of perceived job security. These pathways include dual discrimination intersections such as age-hukou, hukou-education background, and age-occupation, as well as a triple discrimination intersection pattern of age-gender-hukou. Furthermore, the comparative analysis within this study indicates that age and hukou discrimination have a more significant influence on perceived job insecurity among young women compared to other forms of discrimination. This study enriches research on the intersecting effects of multiple employment discrimination on young women's job insecurity. It also delivers essential insights for enhancing Chinese young females' employment quality and fertility intentions.