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Housing prices and spousal age gap: Evidence from the chinese housing boom

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  • Cheng, Yixuan
  • Xu, Ruozhi
  • Zhao, Zhong
  • Zou, Xianqiang

Abstract

Previous studies find that economic development is usually associated with a decline in the spousal age gap between a husband and wife. However, China’s spousal age gap has been increasing since the 1990s. In China’s marriage market, men are expected to purchase house before marriage, which means that high housing prices can present them with significant financial pressure. This paper estimates the causal relationship between housing prices and spousal age gaps. Our empirical results suggest that higher housing prices significantly increased the spousal age gap among Chinese urban couples between 2000 and 2010. It is noteworthy that men delay marriage more than women due to rising housing prices, suggesting that the widening of the spousal age gap is due to men delaying marriage more.

Suggested Citation

  • Cheng, Yixuan & Xu, Ruozhi & Zhao, Zhong & Zou, Xianqiang, 2025. "Housing prices and spousal age gap: Evidence from the chinese housing boom," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:asieco:v:97:y:2025:i:c:s1049007825000119
    DOI: 10.1016/j.asieco.2025.101887
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Housing prices; Spousal age gap; Delayed marriage;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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