Involuntary Bachelorhood in Rural China: A Social Network Perspective

InChina,�theimbalancedsexratioatbirthiscompoundedbyproblems� ofsurplusmalesatadultagesincertainregionsofthecountry.� Remoteandless-developedruralareasareaffectedbymassout- migrationofyoungpeople,�womenespecially.�Inasocietywhere� socialpressuretomarryisverystrong,�theshortageofyoungsingle� womeniscreatingaseriousmalemarriagesqueeze,�andmenmust� applyawiderangeofstrategiestofindthemselvesawife.�Usinga� matchmakingnetworktofindaspousebeforeitistoolateisone� suchstrategy.�Lige liu, Xiaoyi Jin, Melissa brown and Marcus feldman� examineaccesstomarriageinaruralcountyofAnhuiprovinceusing� datafromaquantitativesurveyofmarriedandnever-marriedmen.� Whileshowingthattheprobabilityofmarriagevariesaccordingto� certainindividualsocioeconomiccharacteristics,�theydemonstrate� thatmatchmakingnetworksplayanessentialrole.�Themenwho� usesuchnetworks,�basedonkinornon-kinties,�aretwiceaslikely� tomarryastheothers.