Internal Migration and Cohabitation in China

A Mixed-method Study

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2363772
AutoresZheng Mu (0000-0002-8305-5407, National University of Singapore, Singapore), W J J Yeung (0000-0001-7519-5576, National University of Singapore), Wei-Jun Jean Yeung (National University of Singapore, Singapore)
Año2023
Volumen66
Número6
Páginas1125-1145
Fecha de publicación2023-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSociological Perspectives (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0731-1214 • E-ISSN: 1533-8673
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/07311214231180559
OpenAlexW4383102941
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas5
Referencias citadas55

Migration occurs at earlier ages, lasts for long periods, and profoundly shapes migrants' experiences of cohabitation. We use a mixed-method approach based on the 2012 China Family Panel Studies and 127 in-depth interviews. To address potential selection bias, we estimated the treatment effects of migration based on propensity score matching. Results show that migrants, particularly rural-origin migrants with longer migration duration, are more likely to cohabit than their non-migrant counterparts. Qualitative interviews reveal the main underlying mechanisms: more liberal attitudes and less parental supervision in the receiving communities, a desire to vet potential partners in the absence of background knowledge, and economic barriers to marriage that make cohabitation an attractive buffer. Although migrants may cohabit as a sub-optimal option due to life instabilities and financial pressures, cohabitation also reflects a newly gained autonomy in their private lives, attributable to the liberal mindsets toward nonconventional family behaviors in the receiving communities

Autonomy · China · Cohabitation · Demographic economics · Economics · Internal migration · Maltese · Political science · Population · Sociology · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Demography · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Psychology · Social Psychology