Reinstating the Family: Intergenerational Influence on Assortative Mating in China

Abstract

Prevailing research on assortative mating marginalizes the agency of third parties. Yet, in China, an intergenerational perspective may be useful because family members have participated in spouse selection to maintain homogamy. Using Fudan Yangtze River Delta Social Transformation Survey, we found 20 percent of young adults found their spouse through family introduction. Education reduces, while family resources increase, young people’s reliance on family. For women but not men, reliance on family increased homogamy and somewhat reduced female hypogamy, particularly on ascribed characteristics. These findings suggest that family roles should be carefully analyzed to capture the search context in which marriages are created.