IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecmode/v155y2026ics0264999325004389.html

Bride price, marriage expectations, and intentions among young male migrants in China: Evidence from manufacturing gig workers

Author

Listed:
  • Chae, Minhee
  • Zhang, Dandan

Abstract

This study explores how regional bride price norms shape family formation attitudes among young, low-income male migrants in China, focusing on manufacturing gig workers. Demographic challenges in this vulnerable population are critical, yet research is limited due to scarce, recent data. Using unique surveys on manufacturing gig workers and bride prices, we analyse the relationship between these financial burdens and attitudes towards marriage. Results show that men from high bride price regions are less likely to expect marriage or parenthood and exhibit lower marriage intentions, especially in their late 20s. These associations are stronger for less-educated migrants, suggesting financial barriers are disproportionately linked to those with lower socioeconomic status. Evidence also shows that such pressures may extend migration and push men into riskier informal employment, further delaying family formation and career development. These findings highlight the role of financial constraints in shaping family formation among low-income groups in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Chae, Minhee & Zhang, Dandan, 2026. "Bride price, marriage expectations, and intentions among young male migrants in China: Evidence from manufacturing gig workers," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:155:y:2026:i:c:s0264999325004389
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107443
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264999325004389
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.econmod.2025.107443?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nava Ashraf & Natalie Bau & Nathan Nunn & Alessandra Voena, 2020. "Bride Price and Female Education," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 128(2), pages 591-641.
    2. Shang-Jin Wei & Xiaobo Zhang, 2011. "The Competitive Saving Motive: Evidence from Rising Sex Ratios and Savings Rates in China," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 119(3), pages 511-564.
    3. Francis Bloch & Vijayendra Rao, 2002. "Terror as a Bargaining Instrument: A Case Study of Dowry Violence in Rural India," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(4), pages 1029-1043, September.
    4. Ethan Sharygin & Avraham Ebenstein & Monica Das Gupta, 2013. "Implications of China's future bride shortage for the geographical distribution and social protection needs of never-married men," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 67(1), pages 39-59, March.
    5. Browning,Martin & Chiappori,Pierre-André & Weiss,Yoram, 2014. "Economics of the Family," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521795395, Enero-Abr.
    6. Alaka Malwade Basu & Sneha Kumar, 2022. "Bride price, dowry, and young men with time to kill: A commentary on men’s marriage postponement in India," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 76(3), pages 515-534, September.
    7. Hongbin Li & Junjian Yi & Junsen Zhang, 2011. "Estimating the Effect of the One-Child Policy on the Sex Ratio Imbalance in China: Identification Based on the Difference-in-Differences," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 48(4), pages 1535-1557, November.
    8. Wenchao Li & Changcheng Song & Shu Xu & Junjian Yi, 2022. "High Sex Ratios and Household Portfolio Choice in China," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 57(2), pages 465-490.
    9. Philip H. Brown, 2009. "Dowry and Intrahousehold Bargaining: Evidence from China," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 44(1).
    10. Siwan Anderson, 2007. "The Economics of Dowry and Brideprice," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 21(4), pages 151-174, Fall.
    11. Yifeng Wan, 2024. "Between money and intimacy: Brideprice, marriage, and women’s position in contemporary China," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 50(46), pages 1353-1386.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Li, Wenchao & Song, Changcheng & Xu, Shu & Yi, Junjian, 2017. "Household Portfolio Choice, Reference Dependence, and the Marriage Market," IZA Discussion Papers 10528, IZA Network @ LISER.
    2. Guo, Naijia & Huang, Wei & Wang, Ruixin, 2025. "Public pensions and family dynamics: Eldercare, child investment, and son preference in rural China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    3. Duan, Huiqiong & Yuan, Weici & Snyder, Thomas, 2025. "Gender imbalance and temporary migration: Evidence from rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    4. Rao, Ziwei & Zhang, Yi, 2024. "Rely on children or work longer? The impact of fertility and child gender on old-age labor supply," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    5. Bhaskar, V. & Li, Wenchao & Yi, Junjian, 2025. "Strategic parental investments in a competitive marriage market," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    6. Siwan Anderson & Chris Bidner, 2021. "An Institutional Perspective on the Economics of the Family," Discussion Papers dp21-14, Department of Economics, Simon Fraser University.
    7. Calvi, Rossella & Keskar, Ajinkya, 2021. "Dowries, resource allocation, and poverty," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 268-303.
    8. Natalie Bau & Gaurav Khanna & Corinne Low & Alessandra Voena, 2023. "Traditional Institutions in Modern Times: Dowries as Pensions When Sons Migrate," NBER Working Papers 31176, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Bhalotra, Sonia & Chakravarty, Abhishek & Gulesci, Selim, 2020. "The price of gold: Dowry and death in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    10. Khan, Sarah, 2024. "Female education and marriage in Pakistan: The role of financial shocks and marital customs," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    11. Jean-Marie Baland & Roberta Ziparo, 2017. "Intra-household bargaining in poor countries," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-108, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    12. Li, Wenchao, 2021. "The “miseries” of sex imbalance: Evidence using subjective well-being data," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    13. Brown, Philip H. & Bulte, Erwin & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2011. "Positional spending and status seeking in rural China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 139-149, September.
    14. Wen, Xin & Cheng, Zhiming & Tani, Massimiliano, 2025. "Daughters, Savings and Household Finances," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    15. Calvi, Rossella & Keskar, Ajinkya, 2021. "'Til Dowry Do Us Part: Bargaining and Violence in Indian Families," CEPR Discussion Papers 15696, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    16. Anja Sautmann, 2011. "Partner Search and Demographics: The Marriage Squeeze in India," Working Papers 2011-12, Brown University, Department of Economics.
    17. Momoe Makino, 2021. "Female labour force participation and dowries in Pakistan," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(3), pages 569-593, April.
    18. Jean-Marie Baland & Roberta Ziparo, 2017. "Intra-household bargaining in poor countries," WIDER Working Paper Series 108, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    19. Zhang, Lin, 2022. "Patrilineality, fertility, and women's income: Evidence from family lineage in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    20. Anukriti, S & Dasgupta, Shatanjaya, 2017. "Marriage Markets in Developing Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 10556, IZA Network @ LISER.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:155:y:2026:i:c:s0264999325004389. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/30411 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.