East Asian Studies

Deborah Davis: "Post-Socialist Marriages in China"


Listen Later

In the past thirty years economic reforms have changed almost every facet of Chinese society. Marriage is no exception. Today the divorce rate in the largest Chinese cities is comparable to that of the US and prenuptial agreements are increasingly popular. Dating often entails sexual intimacy and cohabitation is common. Since 2003 a scholar form the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has petitioned the National People's Congress to legalize same sex marriage. Yet there is almost no child bearing outside marriage, parents remain deeply invested in their children's choice of spouse, and intergenerational reciprocity remains strong. Thus post-socialist marriages are pulled in multiple directions. More fragile than in the Mao years, yet still highly valued and nearly universal
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

East Asian StudiesBy Wesleyan University