Gender Differences in Divorce and Remarriage in a Changing Society

• In Event: 115 - Section on Asia and Asian America Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 03. Pathways to Marriage in Asia

Abstract

Gender Differences in Divorce and Remarriage in a Changing Society: Effects of Education, Migration, Urbanization and Development in China
Abstract:
With little existing knowledge on patterns of divorce and remarriage in China during a time of rapid social change, we investigated gender differences in the association between education, migration, urbanization and development on patterns of divorce and remarriage in China. Using national data from the 2005 mini census (N= 1726253) and compiled data from various source to characterize prefectures, we found marked gender differences as well as similarities in these effects. Although overall men are more likely to divorce than women, women who are more educated and in urban areas are the most likely to divorce. Level of urbanization is consistently associated with higher level of divorce and remarriage for both sexes, while economic development is associated with lower level of remarriage. Men and women utilize different resources to divorce and remarriage: migrant women are the most likely to remarry while men with urban hukou have the highest remarriage rates. Men and women with higher education are the least likely to be remarried, and this gap is further enlarged with urbanization.

Authors

• Jingjing Chen, University of California, Davis

• Xiaoling Shu, University of California Davis