Matchmaking and Marriage Outcomes: Will Matchmaking Lead to Lower Marital Satisfaction?

• In Event: 50261 - Family Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 2: Marriage, Cohabitation & Divorce

Abstract

Matchmaking remains a prevalent and enduring method of mate selection in China, particularly amidst trends of marriage postponement and high single rates. While many Chinese couples opt for matchmaking to find a partner, few studies have delved into the marriage outcomes associated with this method of mate selection. Building on prior empirical evidence indicating that individuals who meet through matchmaking may experience lower marital satisfaction but enjoy more stable marriages, this study aims to explore the impact of matchmaking on marriage outcomes and the mechanisms from a qualitative perspective. By conducting in-depth interviews with 23 married people who met their spouses through matchmaking, this study finds that matchmaking practices are not necessarily linked to lower marital satisfaction. However, they have the potential to negatively impact couples' conjugal intimacy, produce mixed effects on intergenerational dynamics and fertility, and have a limited influence on household management. Most interviewees hold positive and neutral attitudes towards matchmaking and do not perceive it as having a significant negative influence on their marital quality, as many of them actively mitigate the negative effects by seeking happiness through alternative sources. Unlike traditional matchmaking practices, which are led and heavily participated in by parents, contemporary matchmaking has responded to societal shifts by transforming into a modernized version marked by greater autonomy, individualistic logics, and mosaic modernity. This study offers new insights into the impacts of mate selection methods on marital outcomes and contributes to explaining the enduring prevalence of matchmaking in China.

Author

• Yilin Wang, Hong Kong Univ of Science and Technology