The Cost of Marriage in Contemporary China

Abstract

In recent years, the marriage rate in Chinese society has shown a depressed state. This paper takes the cost of marriage as the starting point, then analyzes the reasons for the low marriage rate in Chinese society from the four dimensions. First, in China's social norms, owning a house is the premise of an ideal family, and China's high housing price limits the expectations of young people for their future families. Second, bride price and dowry limit the expectations of young people to form a family. The rising price of bride price became a burden for men to bear, and dowry is difficult to truly deliver to women in the actual marriage life. Third, marriage has a huge impact on the career of young people. Marriage means giving up a part of career to pursue family life. In addition, marriage generally has a greater impact on women's employment than that of men. Fourth, the cost of child-rearing also weakens the willingness to get married. The upbringing of children is no longer just providing basic living conditions, but requires a better life and better education. The parenting period of children is increasing, which makes young people more reluctant to get married.