Trends in Homogamy by Education, Ethnicity, and Birth Place in China: 1940-2005

• In Event: Marriage Strategies in East Asia

Abstract

In the literature on marriage and social stratification, increasing homogamy is generally considered indicative of declining social openness and rising social inequality. However, the heterogeneities in homogamy have not been fully addressed. With social development, the basis of homogamy has shifted from such ascribed characteristics as ethnicity and birth place to such achieved characteristics as education. This shift is especially relevant in contemporary China where rapid expansion of post-secondary education may increase “matching “ on education while reducing the “matching” on ethnicity and birth place. However, although there are isolated case studies investigating these shifts, we still lack a systematic study using nationally-representative data. To remedy this oversight, this paper uses data from China 2000 census and 2005 inter-census survey to compare the degree of similarity in the education, ethnicity, and birthplace of new brides and grooms. To account for the potential “pool of eligibles,” we construct indicators based on Schoen’s forces of attraction of specific types of marriage. Results show that while educational homogamy has increased in years of rapid expansion of tertiary education, "matching" on ethnic origins and birth places has become less common over time. Our findings align with changes in China’s increasing rates of domestic migration, expansion of higher education, and the rising importance of post-secondary educational institutions as potential marriage markets.

Authors

• Zheng Mu, ARI at NUS

• Qing Lai, Florida International University