Timing and pathways: differences in marriage behavior among migrants and local Shanghainese born in 1980–1989

AbstractThe disparity in marriage timing between migrants and non-migrants in China has been detected. One of the explanations for this inequality is the hukou status. Yet, this explanation neglects a special type of migrants: those who have earned a local hukou. This study specifies non-hukou migrants, hukou converters, and local residents in Shanghai, and compares their marriage timing and pathways. Using discrete-time event analyses, this study finds that both non-hukou migrants and new Shanghainese (hukou migrants) are more likely to have a delayed marriage than their local counterparts, showing that hukou preference is not the sole explanation for marital inequality in China. Further estimations reveal that new Shanghainese spend a longer time entering a network-introduced marriage while they exhibit no difference in the timing of self-initiated marriages than local Shanghainese. The results indicate that hukou migrants are not deprioritizing marriage, but they lack social connections to the local marriage market. Non-hukou migrants encounter double disadvantages of lacking a local hukou and local social connections. Social networks are an alternative lens other than the hukou status to understanding marital disparities among migrants and non-migrants in China. AcknowledgmentsThe author would like to thank Zai Liang and Katherine Trent for their insightful comments on the earlier version of this paper.Disclosure statementThe author declares no potential conflicts of interest.Additional informationFundingThis project was funded by the National Social Science Foundation of China [grant#19ZDA145].Notes on contributorsShichao DuShichao Du is an Assistant Professor/Researcher in Sociology at Fudan University, China. He obtains his Ph.D. degree in Sociology from University at Albany, the State University of New York, USA. His research interests lie in Families, Social Networks, Cultural Sociology, Health, as well as the interplay among them. His work appears in Population Research and Policy Review, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, China Quarterly, and Journal of Biomedical and Health Information, among others.