The power of family: The impact of family culture on marriage stability in China

Family culture is deeply rooted in the transformation and development of Chinese society and has a profound influence on individual behavior and family decision-making. This paper examines the impact of the family culture of China on marriage stability. By using data from the China Family Panel Studies, this paper shows that family culture is significantly positively associated with marriage stability. The estimation of the instrumental variable—the number of memorial archways ( paifang) per 100,000 persons in each province—and a series of robustness checks all support the major results. It is also found that the positive impact of family culture on marriage stability is mainly seen for people with weaker perceived importance of family well-being, for those with lower levels of education, and for individuals living in a small family. Finally, the positive effect of family culture on marriage stability is primarily observed in older generations, specifically those born before 1969.