Rescuing Masculinity: Giving Gender in the Wake of China’s Marriage Squeeze

Abstract

China’s marriage squeeze poses a profound challenge to the construction of masculinity in rural regions, where marriage continues to play an important role in the production of gender identities, marking manhood and its virtues. What are the consequences when men fail to marry and to assert respected male seniority? We show that in the context of China’s imbalanced sex ratio, family members attempt to rescue or restore the dignity of their sons and brothers by “giving gender,” gestures of care that are aimed to bolster gender authenticity and thereby strengthen a young man’s marriage prospects. By discussing both the intergenerational and intragenerational dynamics of gender collaboration within the family, we furthermore challenge existing studies that project gender antagonism in the wake of radical demographic change, while complicating the image of China’s rural bachelors as social outcasts.

The Price of Aspirations: Education Migrants’ Pursuit of Higher Education in Hubei Province, China

“…In most families, one or both parents had already spent time away from home as labour migrants. Other struggles that most families dealt with were the necessity to save up enough money for a son's marriage (see, for example, Driessen and Sier 2020;Choi and Peng 2016) and achieving a level of financial security that could allow the parents to retire. The state retirement funds for rural Chinese citizens are deeply insufficient: the basic pension benefits amount to 660 rmb (85 euro) per year, which means that parents rely on their savings and their children's financial help when they stop working (Shu 2018).…”

On self-reliant masculinities and rural returnees in ethnic China

“…Th e hypersexuality that Jinlong's stories displayed is not unique to him; rather, it mirrors wider trends, particularly from the beginning of the reform era when chivalry corresponded with affi nity to a male collective and gender ideals. As free love and casual hook-ups are oft en associated with the urban environment, Jinlong's spicy stories, self-proclamations of sexual prowess, and declarations of past romances drew on these ideals and gave him the leverage to express a sense of male capability (nengli) that aligns with sexual potency and economic merit (Driessen and Sier 2019;Osburg 2016).…”

Daughters' dilemmas: the role of female university graduates in rural households in Hubei province, China

“…On the contrary, rural daughters not only share parental love and resources with siblings, but are also expected to make their urban earnings available to their brothers. Securing marriage for young men in the family, in the rural context where an imbalanced sex ratio has driven up the price of marriage, thus drains their sisters' resources (Driessen and Sier 2019).…”

“…The costs of marriage in China have soared due to rising bride prices and the demand placed on the family of the groom to provide the new couple with a 'marriage house' (Driessen and Sier 2019). To marry, Julia's brother must own a house and a car, as well as pay a bride price, which was at least 10,000 rmb (e1264) in rural Hubei in 2016.…”

“…After they help their children, starting with their sons, to set up their own households, they hope to become the recipients of care. It is therefore no surprise that parents often look upon their son's marriage as a hurdle that needs to be overcome before they can consider themselves ready for retirement (Driessen and Sier 2019;Shi 2017b).…”