La réinvention des marieuses

Pettier, Jean-Baptiste

doi:10.4000/lhomme.33239

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…To reach this objective, this essay partly utilizes my ethnography of matchmaking in urban China, which extended from the study of "marriage corners" in which parents of a non-married adult child participate in order to help him or her find an appropriate spouse, to amateur and professional matchmaking services. This showcases the involvement of middle-class parents in their child's marriage, a topic on which I have published already (see Pettier 2016Pettier , 2019Pettier , 2020Pettier , 2022aPettier , 2022b. In this piece, I introduce elements of this field research demonstrating the authoritarian character of the participation of some parents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

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Pettier

2023

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The radical transformation of Chinese society in the previous decades has greatly improved the material lives of most people, but has also led to skyrocketing levels of inequality, and has subjected Chinese youths to unprecedented levels of socio-economic competition. Helping them to succeed in this competitive world necessitates both care and control from their families. This is evident in their scholarly education, but also in the pressure they receive to marry early and well. Both the pressure on their education and on their path towards marriage is imposed on them in the name of support. While many analyses of this situation tie it predominantly to a Confucian ethos imbued into Chinese culture, this article suggests an alternative way to analyze this situation: The revolutionary opposition to inherited privilege paradoxically transformed higher education and marriage into ultra-competitive open markets. Rather than imputing a culturally bounded explanation for this phenomenon, I maintain that the authoritarian-caring parenting style observable in present-day China reflects a situation which finds parallels in other late post-revolutionary societies: the intensification of the educational pressure put on the haves in order to distinguish themselves from the have-nots.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

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Pettier

2023

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“…4 In contrast to their predecessors, today's reunions assemble cohorts of parents who come on a more or less consistent basis. Although some Chinese historians argue that today's xi angq ın (matrimonial presentation) practices are simply an extension of ancient Chinese societal traditions (Hao, 2010), the old sayings they quote do not explain the observable aspects of the exchanges occurring in these parks (Pettier, 2017(Pettier, , 2019. I infer instead that the parental gatherings in the urban parks of present day China are in fact a new phenomenon of the early 21st century.…”

Section: Marriage Cornersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previously, I have examined the emotionality of this research site as methodologically important to understand the current state of Chinese society (Pettier 2016), I also worked on the debates concerning the place of romantic love within them (Pettier 2018), and on the reinvention of the role of the matchmaker (Pettier, 2017(Pettier, , 2019. In this article, I examine the social institution of these marriage corners itself.…”

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confidence: 99%

Marrying the perfect child — Middle class norms and intergenerational arrangements in the marriage corners of urban China

Pettier

2020

Ethnography

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Caught in the context of a highly competitive development process, within the framework of a policy which limited their reproductive capacity to a single child, PRC urban families have, in recent decades, attached growing importance to their child's education, aiming to lead them to professional and personal success. This, however, also had an impact on the capacities of many young adults to marry early. In this context, the phenomenon of “marriage corners” mushroomed in large cities all over China beginning in the mid-2000s. Within China, this new practice generated criticism. These markets are seen as displaying conservative forms of marriage arrangement, the disregarding of romantic love, and forms of intergenerational power organization that may be considered backwards. However, by the criticisms it generates but as well the forms of relationships that it displays, the phenomenon can allow for a better understanding of the transformation of inter-generational relationships amongst urban middle-class, and on the norms framing the lives of the new generation.

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“…Parents’ objection to children dating before completing their education and long working-hours mean that young adults have limited opportunities to meet potential partners (Pettier, 2020). Dating apps are considered risky and marriage agencies untrustworthy, suspected of capitalizing on people’s desire for marriage without finding compatible matches for clients (Pettier, 2019). The ‘supply’ of parental matchmaking has not reduced either, primarily because traditional values such as parental ownership of children (Cheung, 1972) and the parental duty to see that children marry (Miao, 2006) are still deeply rooted.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While traditional familism prioritizes one-sided family interests and patriarchal authority, neo-familism celebrates parent-child bonding and solidarity although internal tensions can still exist. An example would be parents’ who go behind their children’s backs to matchmaking corners, which may seem like traditional parental control, but in fact reflects parents’ anxieties more than actual power over their children (Pettier, 2019; Pimental, 2000). In today’s highly competitive and precarious China, it is argued that neo-familism has become a key coping strategy for Chinese individuals (Yan, 2012; 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parents and Unwed Daughters as an Intergenerational Alliance? – Parental Matchmaking and China’s Single Women

Chan¹,

CHEN²

2022

Journal of Family Issues

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This paper examines the motivations and contexts for China’s highly educated, financially independent single urban women to willingly participate in parental matchmaking. Based on the analysis of two rounds of in-depth interviews with 25 never-married women in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, we find that their participation in parental matchmaking is best understood as an intergenerational alliance formed to mitigate perceived insecurities. Neo-familism, state-endorsed stigmatization and discriminatory polices explain why parents and daughters both prioritize socio-economic security in mate selection. However, the benefits of this inter-generational collaboration are doubtful and asymmetrical, more beneficial to parents than daughters. We contribute to the literature by specifying how state-promoted discourses, neo-familism and women’s lived experiences explain their participation in parental matchmaking.

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La réinvention des marieuses

Cited by 5 publications

References 19 publications

Just Merit?

Just Merit?

Marrying the perfect child — Middle class norms and intergenerational arrangements in the marriage corners of urban China

Parents and Unwed Daughters as an Intergenerational Alliance? – Parental Matchmaking and China’s Single Women

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