Property Right Talks: The 2011 Chinese Divorce Reform and Its Gendered Consequences

• In Event: 4363 - Stratification, Families, and Gender

Abstract

This study examines the effect of intra-household property rights on household members’ well-being by exploiting the 2011 Chinese divorce reform. This reform transfers ownership of the family home to the registered buyer, most often the husband, in the event of a divorce. Prior to this legal change, the family home was considered joint property. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), a nationally representative survey of
Chinese households, I implement a difference-in-differences strategy to compare the
outcomes of married individuals in households where only the husband’s name is on the deed and in those where the husband and the wife have equal house ownership status. My findings
reveal that in the short term, the 2011 Chinese divorce reform leads to diminished well-being
for women in a typical Chinese household where the deed to the marital home is in the husband’s name only. This adverse effect is particularly large for women with perceptions of high divorce risks. No significant effects are found for either women or men living in a
household where only the wife’s name is on the deed. The findings provide some evidence
supporting the argument that gender constraints override the pattern of how intra-household
property rights affect household members’ well-being. In addition to gender-neutral theories,
more theories based on gender are needed to describe family dynamics. The findings demonstrate how a seemingly gender-neutral policy can generate gendered consequences. It is critical that policymakers consider implications for intra-household inequality.

Author

• Emma Zang, Yale University