Paradox in marriage values and behavior in contemporary China

Abstract

Despite a rapidly growing body of literature on marriage behaviors in China, we know very little about the changes or continuities of marriage values that accompany or underlie these behavioral transformations. Using nationally representative samples from the 2006, 2010, 2012, and 2013 Chinese General Social Surveys (CGSS), we investigate the patterns and determinants of marriage values across birth cohorts of men and women. Analyses reveal an increase in acceptance of premarital sex, same-gender sex and cohabitation across birth cohorts, but little change in attitudes toward singlehood and out-of-wedlock childbearing, and a slight decline in approval of divorce. Educational attainment and exposure to Western values, measured by Internet usage and English proficiency, are positively related to approval of premarital sex, cohabitation, and same-gender sex, but have no effect on acceptance of out-of-wedlock childbearing. Moreover, attitudes toward premarital sex and cohabitation show a widened gender gap across birth cohorts, with men showing a greater increase in acceptance than women. The results suggest that the Chinese marriage institution has had a unique pattern of evolution that is distinct from that of marriage in Western society. Desire for the traditional cultural ideal of forming and continuing a family has been unwavering, leading to early and nearly universal marriage. At the same time, longing for increased personal freedom and individualized property rights has weakened the marriage institution in China as manifested in increasing rates of divorce and marital infidelity. We discuss the paradox seen in marriage values and behavior resulting from the influence of state regulations, traditional ideologies, and Westernization.

Entry into first marriage in China

“…Despite the rapid increase of cohabitation and premarital sexual behavior in Chinese society, childbearing outside marriage remains rare (Raymo et al 2015;Yeung and Hu 2016). Lesthaeghe (2010) explains that in contexts with strong traditional moral codes, the level of extramarital fertility is low, whereas premarital pregnancy and shotgun marriages might not be uncommon.…”

Singleness, religiosity, and the implications for counselors: The Indonesian case

“…Gender equity acts result in the increased women participation in both education and industry (Badan Pusat Statistik, 2016a, 2016b). With more women competing in industries, marriage rates in Indonesia are subsequently reduced because society persists to define an ideal marriage to occur between higher status men and lower status women (this definition of marriage is also known as the hypergamy norm of marriage (Yeung & Hu, 2016)).…”

Couple identity and well-being in Chinese HIV serodiscordant couples: resilience under the risk of stigma

“…Future studies can consider validating the effects of couple identity in couples with more health service resources. Second, despite substantial evolutions in marriage and family (e.g., declined marriage rates, increased marriage age, low fertility rate, rising divorce rate) in Eastern Asian societies in the past few decades (Ji, 2015), marital values of the younger generations had remained relatively conventional (e.g., considering marriage as a must; Kim & Cheung, 2015;Yeung & Hu, 2016). It is possible that couple identity remains significant and still serves as a resource in younger generations of Eastern cultures, and future studies are warranted to replicate our findings.…”