China’s Marriage Market and Upcoming Challenges for Elderly Men

Fertility decline has fueled a sharp increase in the proportion of 'missing girls' in China, so an increasing share of males will fail to marry, and will face old age without the support normally provided by wives and children. This paper shows that historically, China has had nearly-universal marriage for women and a very competitive market for men. Lower-educated men experience higher rates of bachelorhood while women favor men with better prospects, migrating if needed from poorer to wealthier areas. The authors examine the anticipated effects of this combination of bride shortage and hypergamy, for different regions of China. Their projections indicate that unmarried males will likely be concentrated in poorer provinces with low fiscal ability to provide social protection to their citizens. Such geographic concentration of unmarried males could be socially disruptive, and the paper s findings suggest a need to expand the coverage of social protection programs financed substantially by the central government.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Das Gupta, Monica, Ebenstein, Avraham, Sharygin, Ethan Jennings
Language:	English
Published:	2010-06-01
Subjects:	ABDUCTION, ADULT LITERACY, ADULT MORTALITY, ADULTHOOD, ADULTS, ADVOCACY, AGE AT MARRIAGE, AGE DISTRIBUTION, AGE GROUPS, AGED, AGING, BIRTHS, BOTH SEXES, CAREGIVERS, CENSUS DATA, CHANGES IN FERTILITY, CHILD MORTALITY, CHILDBEARING, CHILDBIRTH, CHINESE, CITIZENS, CRIME, CUSTOMARY PRACTICE, DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, DEMOGRAPHIC IMBALANCES, DEMOGRAPHIC PRESSURES, DEMOGRAPHY, DEPENDENCY RATIO, DEPENDENCY RATIOS, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DISCRIMINATION, ECONOMIC BENEFITS, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, ECONOMIC STATUS, EDUCATED MEN, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, ELDERLY, ELDERLY MEN, ELDERLY POPULATION, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, FAMILIES, FAMILY MEMBERS, FAMILY SIZE, FAMILY SUPPORT, FEMALE, FEMALE CHILDREN, FEMALES, FERTILITY, FERTILITY CONTROL, FERTILITY DECLINE, FERTILITY PATTERNS, FERTILITY PREFERENCES, FERTILITY RATE, FERTILITY RATES, FERTILITY SURVEY, FERTILITY TRANSITIONS, FIRST BIRTH, FIRST MARRIAGE, FORCED MARRIAGE, FORMAL EDUCATION, GENDER, GENDER BIAS, HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, HEALTH INSURANCE, HEALTH STATUS, HEALTH SYSTEM, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUSBANDS, ILLNESS, INCOME SECURITY, INEQUALITIES, INEQUALITY, INFANTS, INJURY, INTERNAL MIGRATION, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, LABOR FORCE, LABOR SUPPLY, LARGE POPULATIONS, LATER MARRIAGE, LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT, LEVEL OF EDUCATION, LEVELS OF EDUCATION, LIFE EXPECTANCY, LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH, LIVING STANDARDS, LOCAL COMMUNITIES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, LOW FERTILITY, MALE POPULATION, MALES, MARITAL STATUS, MARRIAGE AGE, MARRIAGES, MEDICAL CARE, MIGRANTS, MIGRATION, MINIMUM AGE, MINORITIES, MINORITY, MORTALITY RATES, MOTHER, NATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING, NATIONAL LEVEL, NUMBER OF WOMEN, OFFICIAL STATISTICS, OLD AGE, OLD-AGE, OLDER MEN, PARENTS, PENSION, PENSIONS, PERSONAL COMMUNICATION, PLACE OF RESIDENCE, POLICY GUIDANCE, POLICY IMPLICATIONS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POLYANDRY, POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT, POPULATION ASSOCIATION, POPULATION BY AGE, POPULATION CENSUS, POPULATION CHANGES, POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS, POPULATION COUNCIL, POPULATION DIVISION, POPULATION ECONOMICS, POPULATION GROWTH, POPULATION INFORMATION, POPULATION INFORMATION NETWORK, POPULATION POLICY, POPULATION RESEARCH, POPULATION STRUCTURES, POPULATION STUDIES, PRENATAL SEX SELECTION, PRIMARY EDUCATION, PRIMARY SCHOOL, PROGRESS, REPRODUCTION, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, RURAL AREAS, RURAL POPULATION, RURAL RESIDENTS, SAFETY NET, SAFETY NETS, SEX, SEX PREFERENCE, SEX RATIO, SEX RATIOS, SEX-SELECTIVE ABORTION, SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, SEXUAL HEALTH, SINGLE MEN, SMALLER HOUSEHOLDS, SOCIAL AFFAIRS, SOCIAL CHANGE, SOCIAL CHANGES, SOCIAL INSURANCE, SOCIAL POLICY, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SOCIAL SECURITY, SOCIAL STATUS, SOCIAL SUPPORT, SOCIAL UNREST, SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION, SPOUSE, SPOUSES, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TOTAL FERTILITY RATE, TRADITIONAL FAMILY, UNEMPLOYMENT, UNITED NATIONS POPULATION DIVISION, UNMARRIED MEN, URBAN AREAS, URBAN POPULATION, URBANIZATION, VIOLENCE, VULNERABILITY, WAR, WARS, WILL, WIVES, WOMAN, WORKING CLASS, WORKING-AGE POPULATION, WORLD FERTILITY SURVEY, WORLD POPULATION, YOUNG CHILDREN, YOUNG COUPLES,
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100629085520 https://hdl.handle.net/10986/3837
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