IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/joprea/v38y2021i2d10.1007_s12546-021-09259-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Continuity and changes in attitudes toward marriage in contemporary Taiwan

Author

Listed:
  • Yen-hsin Alice Cheng

    (Academia Sinica)

  • Chih-lan Winnie Yang

    (McGill University)

Abstract

Research on marriage values bears crucial policy implications in a low-fertility context where obstacles to marriage are indicative of fertility barriers, particularly when non-marital births are rare. Using multiple waves of the Taiwan Social Change Survey between 1985 and 2015, this study explores the attitudinal shifts in marriage during a time of rapid social change. The findings indicate that substantial changes have taken place with regard to the institution of marriage. A cohort replacement effect, as well as intra-cohort changes, are the main drivers for the majority of changes in attitudes toward marriage. Overall, more people in the general public now believe that marriages do not necessarily bring more happiness and satisfaction to one’s life. More of them increasingly believe that conventional norms imposed on married couples, and women in particular, should be relaxed. These include norms about living arrangements, in-law relationships, divorce, and the importance of childbearing. However, preferences for marital births have changed little, and more people in the 2010s endorse the notion of having at least one son to continue the family lineage, than in the 1990s. These seemingly paradoxical patterns of value liberalisation and traditional fertility preferences, along with rising female autonomy, could make the “marriage package” seem less desirable for younger cohorts of economically independent women, leading to delayed (or even foregone) family formation.

Suggested Citation

  • Yen-hsin Alice Cheng & Chih-lan Winnie Yang, 2021. "Continuity and changes in attitudes toward marriage in contemporary Taiwan," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 38(2), pages 139-167, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joprea:v:38:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s12546-021-09259-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s12546-021-09259-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12546-021-09259-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12546-021-09259-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yen-Hsin Alice Cheng, 2016. "More education, fewer divorces? Shifting education differentials of divorce in Taiwan from 1975 to 2010," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(33), pages 927-942.
    2. Minja Kim Choe & Larry L. Bumpass & Noriko O. Tsuya & Ronald R. Rindfuss, 2014. "Nontraditional Family-Related Attitudes in Japan: Macro and Micro Determinants," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 40(2), pages 241-271, June.
    3. Griffith Feeney, 1991. "Fertility decline in Taiwan: A study using parity progression ratios," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 28(3), pages 467-479, August.
    4. Ron Lesthaeghe, 2010. "The Unfolding Story of the Second Demographic Transition," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 36(2), pages 211-251, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jolene Tan, 2022. "Heterogeneity among the never married in a low-fertility context," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 47(24), pages 727-776.
    2. Frances Goldscheider & Eva Bernhardt & Trude Lappegård, 2015. "The Gender Revolution: A Framework for Understanding Changing Family and Demographic Behavior," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 41(2), pages 207-239, June.
    3. Juho H rk nen, 2017. "Diverging destinies in international perspective: Education, single motherhood, and child poverty," LIS Working papers 713, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    4. Sam Hyun Yoo, 2014. "Educational differentials in cohort fertility during the fertility transition in South Korea," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(53), pages 1463-1494.
    5. Marcel Raab & Emanuela Struffolino, 2020. "The Heterogeneity of Partnership Trajectories to Childlessness in Germany," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(1), pages 53-70, March.
    6. Michael R. Haines & Avery M. Guest, 2010. "Fertility in New York State in the Civil War Era," NBER Working Papers 16135, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Steven Ruggles, 2015. "Patriarchy, Power, and Pay: The Transformation of American Families, 1800–2015," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(6), pages 1797-1823, December.
    8. Daniela Smiraglia & Luca Salvati & Gianluca Egidi & Rosanna Salvia & Antonio Giménez-Morera & Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir, 2021. "Toward a New Urban Cycle? A Closer Look to Sprawl, Demographic Transitions and the Environment in Europe," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-14, January.
    9. Barbara S. Okun, 2013. "Fertility and marriage behavior in Israel," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 28(17), pages 457-504.
    10. Nicoletta Balbo & Francesco C. Billari & Melinda Mills, 2013. "Fertility in Advanced Societies: A Review of Research," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 29(1), pages 1-38, February.
    11. Kravtsova, Maria & Libman, Alexander, 2023. "Historical family structure as a predictor of liberal voting: Evidence from a century of Russian history," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 47(2).
    12. Benoît Laplante & Teresa Castro-Martín & Clara Cortina & Teresa Martín-García, 2015. "Childbearing within Marriage and Consensual Union in Latin America, 1980–2010," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 41(1), pages 85-108, March.
    13. Zuzanna Brzozowska & Eva Beaujouan & Kryštof Zeman, 2022. "Is Two Still Best? Change in Parity-Specific Fertility Across Education in Low-Fertility Countries," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(5), pages 2085-2114, October.
    14. Olga Isupova, 2015. "Trust, responsibility, and freedom: Focus-group research on contemporary patterns of union formation in Russia," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 32(11), pages 341-368.
    15. Zsolt Spéder & Balázs Kapitány, 2014. "Failure to Realize Fertility Intentions: A Key Aspect of the Post-communist Fertility Transition," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 33(3), pages 393-418, June.
    16. Anatole Romaniuk & Oleksandr Gladun, 2015. "Demographic Trends in Ukraine: Past, Present, and Future," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 41(2), pages 315-337, June.
    17. Karen Benjamin Guzzo, 2014. "New Partners, More Kids," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 654(1), pages 66-86, July.
    18. Albert Esteve & David S. Reher, 2021. "Rising Global Levels of Intergenerational Coresidence Among Young Adults," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 47(3), pages 691-717, September.
    19. Allan Puur & Martin Klesment, 2011. "Signs Of A Stable Or Provisional Increase In Fertility? Reflections On Developments In Estonia," Demográfia English Edition, Hungarian Demographic Research Institute, vol. 54(5), pages 31-55.
    20. Arland Thornton & Prem Bhandari & Jeffrey Swindle & Nathalie Williams & Linda Young-DeMarco & Cathy Sun & Christina Hughes, 2020. "Fatalistic Beliefs and Migration Behaviors: A Study of Ideational Demography in Nepal," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 39(4), pages 643-670, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:joprea:v:38:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s12546-021-09259-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.