CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2012
| Author | Wang, Yanjun |
|---|---|
| Title | SPOUSE SELECTION AMONGST CHINA'S POST-1980 GENERATION |
| Summary | Chinese people born in the 1980’s - immediately following the establishment of China’s family planning policy in 1979 - make a unique phenomenon in human history: an entire cohort (estimated at 90 millions) comprising almost exclusively of single children to their parents. Coming of age at the time of China’s dramatic economic growth since 2000, and playing a major role in it, members of this predominantly urban generation, who have always been at the center of attention in their families of origin, are now at a marriageable age. Not surprisingly, issues associated with their marriage and dating patterns draw much public and social scientific interest in China. This thesis, which looks at spouse selection criteria and practices within this group, uses the immensely popular Chinese television dating show If You are the One as a source of empirical data. Focusing on self-presentations by 208 female and 43 male participants in the show, it comments on visions of ideal spouse which they project. Analysis of the data in light of earlier works on marriages in Chinese society and of sociological theories of spouse selection highlights some of the contradictions that exist between traditional and contemporary Chinese values, illustrating the strategies adopted by members of the post 1980 generation to reconcile them. |
| Supervisor | Rabinowitz Dan ; Naumescu Vlad |
| Department | Sociology MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2012/wang_yanjun.pdf |
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