Negotiating the modalities of time – individual and institutional, migratory and marital: a temporal ‘double-bind’ for Chinese migrant women in the UK

Abstract

ABSTRACT Complex migration and life course trajectories entangle in the youth mobilities of increasing numbers of educated, middle-class Chinese migrants to the UK. This article argues that intersections between individual and institutional framings of time shape temporary migrants’ experiences and rhythms of transnational marriage formation. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with 51 informants, this article examines how migrants’ desire for, timing of and decisions relating to transnational marriage are shaped by the interlocking forces of time and timing embedded in intersectional visa regime, marital institution and gender order. The British visa regime determines the duration of time that a temporary migrant is allowed to stay; the institution of marriage prescribes a socially expected time to marry; and the Chinese state’s gender discourse stigmatises women’s late marriage. Unpacking this intersection, this research seeks to advance understanding of the complex relations between various socially constructed modalities of time in producing specific experiences for migrants, who may experience an accelerated and decelerated sense of time during the process of transnational marriage negotiation.