The Burdensome Son: Child Gender and the Probability of Remarriage in China

• In Event: 40466 - Child Gender, Parenting, and Intergenerational Relationships Across the Life Course

Abstract

Child gender is understudied in its influence on the parent’s probability of remarriage. Existing research has found a positive association between pre-marital sons and mothers’ chance of marriage in US society. Conversely, qualitative studies in China suggest the potential role of sons as an impediment to remarriage. Despite this contradiction, empirical evidence from China remains limited. This study investigates the effects of children from the previous union on divorcees/widowers’ probability of remarriage using the marital history data generated from China Family Panel Studies 2010 to 2020 waves. With a particular focus on child gender, we aim to reveal the role of sons in parents’ remarriage in China and its underlying mechanisms. Preliminary results show that parents with sons have a lower probability of remarriage after divorce/widowhood compared to their counterparts who have no sons. This negative effect is only significant for single mothers but not fathers when making a comparison by gender. Contrary to what has been found in American society, these findings highlight the distinct role of sons in remarriage in China and suggest that the effects of child gender should be examined in combination with the broader social and cultural context.

Authors

• Yuhang Zhang, Hong Kong Univ of Science and Tech

• Wanru Xiong