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China’s Marriage Squeeze: A Decomposition into Age and Sex Structure

Author

Listed:
  • Quanbao Jiang

    (Xi’an Jiaotong University)

  • Xiaomin Li

    (Xi’an Jiaotong University)

  • Shuzhuo Li

    (Xi’an Jiaotong University)

  • Marcus W. Feldman

    (Stanford University)

Abstract

Most recent studies of marriage patterns in China have emphasized the male-biased sex ratio but have largely neglected age structure as a factor in China’s male marriage squeeze. In this paper we develop an index we call “spousal sex ratio” to measure the marriage squeeze, and a method of decomposing the proportion of male surplus into age and sex structure effects within a small spousal age difference interval. We project that China’s marriage market will be confronted with a relatively severe male squeeze. For the decomposition of the cohort aged 30, from 2010 to 2020 age structure will be dominant, while from 2020 through 2034 the contribution of age structure will gradually decrease and that of sex structure will increase. From then on, sex structure will be dominant. The index and decomposition, concentrated on a specific female birth cohort, can distinguish spousal competition for single cohorts which may be covered by a summary index for the whole marriage market; these can also be used for consecutive cohorts to reflect the situation of the whole marriage market.

Suggested Citation

  • Quanbao Jiang & Xiaomin Li & Shuzhuo Li & Marcus W. Feldman, 2016. "China’s Marriage Squeeze: A Decomposition into Age and Sex Structure," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 127(2), pages 793-807, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:127:y:2016:i:2:d:10.1007_s11205-015-0981-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-015-0981-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sasa Wang & Xueyan Yang & Lisa Eklund, 2022. "Discrimination and Quality of Life Among Marriage-Squeezed Men in Rural China: Unexpected Functions of Structural and Functional Social Support," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 159(3), pages 885-905, February.
    2. Wang, Qingbin & Zou, Yang & Fan, Dan, 2019. "Gender imbalance in China’s marriage migration: Quantitative evidence and policy implications," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 406-414.
    3. Huang, Zhongliang & Weng, Wenguo, 2020. "Analysis of geographical migration networks of bride trafficking crime from 2000 to 2018 in China," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 550(C).

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