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Transition to adulthood in China in 1982−2005: A structural view

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  • Felicia Tian

    (Fudan University)

Abstract

Background: The transition to adulthood has increasingly been postponed, shuffled, and individualized in the United States and Western Europe. Less is known about changes in the transition to adulthood in non-Western countries, especially whether they follow a similar pattern of change. Moreover, the existing literature uses diverse indicators to measure the transition to adulthood, which makes the cross-national comparison even more difficult. Objective: This article takes a structural view to examine changes in the transition to adulthood in China, which has the largest youth population in the world and which has experienced rapid social change since reform in the 1980s. Methods: The analysis uses data from 1982, 1990, and 2000 censuses and a 2005 mini-census. It treats participants aged 18−30 as synthetic cohorts and examines changes in three structural features of the transition to adulthood: timing, sequencing, and heterogeneity. Results: Though school completion and entry into the labor force have been notably delayed, only minor delays have occurred in marriage and parenthood. Some individualization occurs in urban residents, but the pathway remains relatively structured and follows a very ordered sequence. Conclusions: These findings suggest stability in the transition to adulthood amidst rapid social change in China during these twenty years.

Suggested Citation

  • Felicia Tian, 2016. "Transition to adulthood in China in 1982−2005: A structural view," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(16), pages 451-466.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:34:y:2016:i:16
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2016.34.16
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Monica J. Grant & Frank F. Furstenberg, 2007. "Changes in the Transition to Adulthood in Less Developed Countries," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 23(3), pages 415-428, October.
    2. Xiaogang Wu & Donald Treiman, 2004. "The household registration system and social stratification in China: 1955–1996," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 41(2), pages 363-384, May.
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    5. Peter Mcdonald, 2006. "Low Fertility and the State: The Efficacy of Policy," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 32(3), pages 485-510, September.
    6. Gavin W. Jones, 2007. "Delayed Marriage and Very Low Fertility in Pacific Asia," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 33(3), pages 453-478, September.
    7. Felicia Tian, 2013. "Transition to First Marriage in Reform-Era Urban China: The Persistent Effect of Education in a Period of Rapid Social Change," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 32(4), pages 529-552, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Anning Hu & Felicia Tian, 2018. "Still under the ancestors' shadow? Ancestor worship and family formation in contemporary China," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 38(1), pages 1-26.
    2. Luca Maria Pesando & Nicola Barban & Maria Sironi & Frank F. Furstenberg, 2021. "A Sequence‐Analysis Approach to the Study of the Transition to Adulthood in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 47(3), pages 719-747, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    transition to adulthood; life course analysis; China; economic uncertainties; path dependence;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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