Marriage and Family in China
Marriage Law of 1950
• The very first law promulgated by the People’s Republic of China (1949 - )
• abolished arranged marriage
• abolished polygamy
• right to divorce– 214,000 cases of divorce in 1986– 1,665,000 cases of divorce in 2004
Maoist era (1949 – 1976)
• penetration of state into society– sweeping mass campaigns
Maoist era (1949 – 1976)
• transformation of “feudal” social customs– establish new loyalty to Mao and to CCP
“Socialist New Man”
• communist ideals
• socialist moral
• culture and education
• discipline
“Socialist New Man”
• “serve the people”– Lei Feng (1940 – 1962)
“Socialist New Customs”
“Women hold up half the sky”
“Women hold up half the sky”
post-Mao era (1977 – present)
• gradual retreat of the state from society and family– except in implementing family planning policy
• change in values– materialism and individualism– Western influence– revival of traditions
Population of Mainland China (in billions) 1978 - 2007
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population pressure
family planning policy
• “Family planning promotes economic development!”
family planning policy
• “It’s good to have only one child!”
family planning policy
• “It’s a basic state policy!”
family planning policy
• “Girls are as good as boys!”
materialism
A 1999 survey of rural youth
• 3 factors in choosing a spouse:
• congenial to each other (49.8%)
• smart and capable (49.2%)
• education level (37.9%)
• gentle and considerate (32.9%)
• honest and reliable (28.6%)
• health (28%)
A survey in Nanjing in 2006
• When choosing a spouse do you consider whether s/he has housing? (83% “yes”)
• Who should provide the housing?– both 55%; husband 44%; wife 1%
• 18% would marry even without housing
• What role do your parents play?– parents will decide 4%
“Where did Lei Feng go?”
• “serve the people?”
• results from surveys on university campuses
Western influence
a survey of urban youth in 1998
• Which region’s music do you like most?
• Hong Kong 63.5%
• mainland China 60.8%
• U.S.A. 36.9%
• Taiwan 29.0%
• Japan 19.5%
• India 12.8%
a survey of urban youth in 1998
• Which region’s movies and TV programs do you like most?
• Hong Kong 71.7%
• U.S.A. 62.4%
• mainland China 41.0%
• Taiwan 19.9%
• Japan 19.7%
rise of the individual
• pre-Mao era– loyalty to family, father, and ancestors
• Maoist era– new loyalty to socialist collectives– new loyalty to the Party and Mao
• post-Mao era– state loosens control of private life