Cross‐border marriages in pre‐ and post‐handover Hong Kong

Abstract

Given the ever‐increasing economic and social ties with the Mainland, Hong Kong‐Mainland cross‐border marriage patterns experienced significant changes after the handover. The proportion of cross‐border marriages only accounted for 2% of marriages registered in Hong Kong in the pre‐handover period but jumped to 34.7% after the handover. This study examines the impact of stronger economic ties and weakened social and cultural boundaries on the patterns of assortative mating in cross‐border marriages. As most of the cross‐border workers from Hong Kong are males, they have increasing opportunities for social interaction with Mainland women in communities and social circles in the Mainland. After the handover, the language skills of residents on both sides showed significant improvement and this can enhance the possibility of finding a marriage partner across the border. Empirical results suggest a weaker positive assortative mating in respect of age and educational attainment among Hong Kong husband‐Mainland wife couples after the handover. Previous studies suggest that marital partner selection reflects the strength of social boundaries and the strength of these boundaries should be stronger for cross‐border marriages. The results of this paper support the view that stronger economic ties and weakened social and cultural boundaries do promote cross‐border marriages and negative assortative mating in these marriages.

Who Is at High Risk for Child Abuse and Neglect: Risk Assessment among Battered Women Using Shelter Services

“…This profile of battered women reflects, to some extent, the cross-border marriage phenomenon in Hong Kong, where marriage migrants are generally younger, more likely to be unemployed, and often have low socioeconomic status, thus displaying significantly different characteristics from local women [41]. As of 2016, the proportion of Hong Kong-Mainland China cross-border marriages accounted for 34.7% of marriages registered in Hong Kong, which has increased significantly from the pre-handover period [42]. These women are often more socially isolated and have less social support [41].…”

The rise in cross‐national marriages and the emergent inequalities in East and Southeast Asia

“…In Hong Kong, before the handover to PRC China, older men who were established in their careers were more likely to marry mainland Chinese women. After the handover, the likelihood of older employers or self-employed men marrying mainland Chinese women decreased (Lui, 2023) reflecting that changes in socioeconomic and political dynamics could affect the cross-national marriage patterns.…”