Entry Into First Marriage and Marital Outcomes of Rural Migrants in China: The Influence of Initiation of Economic Migration by Men and Women

Zhen Li , Shanghai University

Data from the 2015 China National Migrant Population Monitoring Survey is used to examine the relationship between economic migration and entry into first marriage, as well as the effect of migration on marital outcomes of rural migrants in China. Discrete time event history analysis shows that migration increases the hazard of entry into first marriage. In terms of migration’s effect on marital outcomes, it is found that initiation of migration increases the probability of marrying those who are better educated, and with urban hukou, but not the probability of marrying those older than oneself. Interestingly, these patterns hold for both men and women. Those findings point to the positive role migration plays for one’s prospect in the marriage market in China. They also reveal that migration breaks down the gender norms of family formation behaviors more for males than for females.

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 Presented in Session 7. Migration & Urbanization