Economic Transition and the Potential Risks of Marital Instability in Contemporary Urban China

Abstract

China is experiencing a fundamental social, political, economic, and cultural transformation under the impact of the present capitalistic globalization phenomena. Economically, the country’s planning economy has partially been replaced by a more free-market economy. Culturally, the state enforced gender equality ideal is being replaced by a more capitalistic ideology of “survival of the fittest.” “Equal pay for equal work” has begun to crumble as the party-state has ceased to be the central institute for labor allocation during the recent market reform. To examine how current social transformation, particularly economic and cultural transformations influence the stability of marriage in urban China, 44 in-depth interviews of 23 married couples were conducted in Beijing, China, in the summer 2004. The study suggests that most marriages are stable but they are facing some potential risks of marital instability associated with economic transition in urban China such as the increasing pressure at work, excessive time put into work, the rise of materialism, the increasing cost of education for children, and the unhealthy lifestyle. The study also indicates that the male breadwinner–female homemaker model is not an ideal but a potential threat to the stability of marriage. For wives, this model means a loss in financial independence, a disconnection with the outside world, a hinder of understanding their husbands’ work experience, and a communication barrier. For husbands, the model means family financial insecurity and a loss in personal freedom and social time.