Affiliation:
1. National University of Singapore, Singapore
Abstract
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.
Funder
National University of Singapore
Subject
Sociology and Political Science
Cited by
1 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献