Recent trends in the Chinese family National estimates from 1990 to 2010

Family in China has experienced drastic changes in the past decades. Yet we have limited knowledge of the trends and patterns of the Chinese family in transition. This study provides a systematic documentation of the Chinese family in transition by estimating a variety of indicators of marital and f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDemographic research Vol. 44; pp. 595 - 608
Main Authors Yu, Jia, Xie, Yu
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Rostock Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Wissenschaften 01.01.2021
Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Max Planck Institut für Demografische Forschung
Subjects
Age
Analysis
Behavior
Birth rates
Census
Censuses
Childbearing
Childbirth & labor
Childlessness
Cohabitation
Descriptive Finding
Divorce
Education
Educational attainment
Estimates
Families & family life
Family studies
Fertility
Forecasts and trends
Longitudinal studies
Marriage
Single people
Social science research
Socioeconomic factors
Trends
Womens health
China
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Summary:Family in China has experienced drastic changes in the past decades. Yet we have limited knowledge of the trends and patterns of the Chinese family in transition. This study provides a systematic documentation of the Chinese family in transition by estimating a variety of indicators of marital and fertility behaviors in China, including the singlehood rate, first marriage age, cohabitation rate, divorce rate, and nonmarital childbirth rate. We analyze data from the 1990, 2000, and 2010 China Censuses, the 2005 1% China Population Inter-Census Surveys, and the 2010-2016 China Family Panel Studies. The results indicate trends of delays in first marriage age and increases in premarital cohabitation in China. Despite below-replacement fertility, childlessness remains rare among married Chinese couples. In addition, almost all children are born and raised within marriage, with a virtual absence of nonmarital childbearing in China. Although we observe a slight increase in divorce across cohorts, the divorce rate within 10 years in China was much lower than in other East Asian societies. Our research suggests both continuity and changes in marital and childbearing behaviors in China. The trajectory of family changes in China has not followed those in Western countries.
ISSN:1435-9871
1435-9871
2363-7064
DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2021.44.25