Still under the ancestors’ shadow? Ancestor worship and family formation in contemporary China

Ancestor worship in China used to be an indispensable component of marriage and family life because it fostered an orientation toward perpetuating the family line. However, whether or not ancestor worship still matters in contemporary China is an open question. This article presents a comprehensive...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDemographic research Vol. 38; pp. 1 - 36
Main Authors Hu, Anning, Tian, Felicia F.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Rostock Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research 2018
Max Planck Institut für Demografische Forschung
Subjects
Ancestor worship
Child sex preferences
Childbearing
Childbirth & labor
Children
Delivery (Childbirth)
Demographics
Demography
Families & family life
Genealogy
Kinship
Longitudinal studies
Marriage
Personal relationships
Preferences
Regression analysis
Regression models
Religion
Research Article
Social aspects
Social change
Sociology
Son preference
Statistical analysis
Timing
Traditions
Worship
China
Hong Kong China
New York
East Asia
United States > US
Taiwan
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Summary:Ancestor worship in China used to be an indispensable component of marriage and family life because it fostered an orientation toward perpetuating the family line. However, whether or not ancestor worship still matters in contemporary China is an open question. This article presents a comprehensive study of the association between ancestor worship practices and 1) the timing of transition to first marriage, 2) the pattern of childbearing, and 3) the orientation toward son preference. Drawing on the adult sample from the Chinese Family Panel Studies 2010, several multivariate models (Cox proportional hazard model, probit regression model, negative binomial regression models, and ordered probit model) were fitted, corresponding to different types of outcome. All else being equal, involvement in ancestor worship practices is correlated with 1) an early transition to marriage, 2) a larger number of children, 3) a higher probability of having at least one son, and 4) a larger number of sons. The relevance of the kinship tradition to family formation persists in contemporary China and has not faded away.
ISSN:1435-9871
1435-9871
2363-7064
DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2018.38.1