Peer-Reviewed Articles
* indicates corresponding author.
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Wang, Yanwen. 2025. “Enduring Boundaries, Emerging Bridges: Patterns of Caste and Ethnic Intermarriage in Nepal.” Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 100(101104) doi:10.1016/j.rssm.2025.101104.
Abstract
Intermarriage is often seen as a solvent of caste and ethnic divisions. This study provides the first nationwide analysis of intermarriage in Nepal, drawing on data from the 2001 and 2011 censuses. Despite Nepal’s remarkable diversity, intermarriage remains exceedingly rare, comprising only 0.74% of all marriages. Only Madhesi Brahman/Chhetri, Newar, and MPB (Marwadi, Punjabi, Bangali) communities surpass 1%. Log-linear models reveal persistent, though weakening, intergroup boundaries, with indigenous Janajatis exhibiting greater openness. Gender asymmetries—such as lower-caste men marrying into higher-caste groups—are evident. Education most effectively facilitates intermarriage for women from disadvantaged groups (e.g., Dalits, Janajatis) but has limited or even negative effects among privileged groups. Child marriage, still present in nearly half of all unions, reinforces caste endogamy, especially among Dalits. However, unexpectedly higher intermarriage rates in child marriages among privileged communities suggest strategic out-marriages. These findings highlight the enduring resilience of caste and ethnic divisions in Nepal, while identifying educational expansion and enforcement of minimum marriage age, especially targeting disadvantaged populations, as promising pathways toward social integration. These insights carry important implications for policies aimed at reducing caste- and ethnicity-based stratification in Nepal and similarly divided societies. -
Wang, Yanwen*, Senhu Wang, and Zheng Mu. 2025. “Married Couples' Life Satisfaction and Gender Divisions of Income and Housework in China.” Journal of Family and Economic Issues 46(3): 738--48. doi:10.1007/s10834-025-10052-w.
Abstract
Household roles are critical determinants of married couples’ subjective well-being. One strand of the literature, focusing on income division, finds that couples experience higher well-being when husbands earn more than their wives. The other strand examines the well-being implications of housework division with mixed results. The present study synthesizes these perspectives by analyzing how combined household roles—incorporating both income and household labor divisions—relate to life satisfaction. Using longitudinal dyadic data from 12,980 couples surveyed in the China Family Panel Studies (2010—2022), results reveal that traditional income arrangements, with husbands as primary earners, consistently associate with higher life satisfaction for both spouses. This pattern is evident both between and within couples, particularly among husbands as they transition into provider roles. This becomes especially pronounced when husbands also contribute significantly to housework. Notably, a small subgroup of husbands reports higher satisfaction within non-traditional arrangements, wherein wives are primary earners and husbands handle most household chores. For wives, transitioning into a double-burden role significantly reduces their life satisfaction. These findings illustrate both continuity with and departure from traditional gender norms in China, suggesting non-traditional household roles as emerging pathways that may enhance well-being. -
Wang, Yanwen. 2025. “Educational Sorting in Unions and Subjective Well-Being in Europe: Gender Differences and Contextual Variations.” Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 96(101020) doi:10.1016/j.rssm.2025.101020.
Abstract
This study examines the associations between educational sorting—the intra-couple difference in education—and subjective well-being of heterosexual partners in Europe, independent of each partner’s education status. It extends the literature by exploring whether and how these associations vary across societies and normative climates. A sample of 180,733 respondents in marriage or cohabitation from 29 countries was selected from Rounds 1—10 (2002—2020) of the European Social Survey and analyzed using the Diagonal Mobility Models. Pooled analyses show that net of status effects, hypergamy (women partnering with more educated men) was associated with lower well-being for both genders, and men were more satisfied with life in hypogamous relationships (partnering with more educated women). These patterns varied across societies, illustrated, for instance, by a hypergamy advantage among men in Southern Europe and women in the Baltic states. Notably, women’s well-being disadvantage in hypergamy was exacerbated in contexts where such partnerships were less normative. These findings provide unique insights into the diverse well-being outcomes of assortative mating between genders and across societies, shaped, in part, by societal norms. -
Wang, Yanwen, and Zheng Mu*. 2025. “Partnership Trajectories toward Childlessness in China.” Family Relations 74(2): 901--15. doi:10.1111/fare.13136.
Abstract
Objective. Drawing on the life course perspective, this study examined partnership trajectories of childless individuals to understand the drivers and processes of becoming childless in China. Background. Despite the rise in childlessness in China, little is known about the within-group heterogeneity in partnership trajectories leading to childlessness and their sociodemographic correlates. Method. The study employed sequence analysis and multinomial and ordinary least squares regressions using a sample of 778 childless men and women aged 40 and above from the China Family Panel Studies in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. Results. Five clusters of partnership trajectories were identified: never partnered (51.8%), early marriage (24.8%), late marriage (9.4%), on-time marriage (9.3%), and unpartnered via divorce and widowhood (4.9%). Men with low socioeconomic status were most likely to become childless through never being married, and their privileged counterparts were mostly through on-time or late marriage. The early-marriage and unpartnered clusters mostly consisted of women, and among women, those with an urban hukou or low education were more likely to be divorced. The overall heterogeneity in partnership trajectories to childlessness declined, and most complexity observed was limited to the unpartnered cluster. Conclusion. Partnership trajectories to childlessness in China are heterogeneous and stratified but increasingly homogenous. Implications. Due to the persistent connections between marriage and childbearing, Chinese individuals become childless through more standardized life course trajectories than before. -
Wang, Yanwen, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan, and Christine Ho. 2024. “Diverse Pathways to Permanent Childlessness in Singapore: A Latent Class Analysis.” Advances in Life Course Research 61(100628) doi:10.1016/j.alcr.2024.100628.
Abstract
The proportions of adults reaching midlife without having children have been rising rapidly across the globe, particularly in Asia. However, little is known about the pathways to permanent childlessness within the region’s childless population. This study utilized a latent class analysis (LCA) to typologize pathways to childlessness based on dynamic characteristics of multiple life domains (i.e., partnership, education, and occupation) among 489 childless Singaporeans aged 50 and above from a 2022 nationwide survey. Additionally, we utilized multinomial logistic regressions to examine the sociodemographic correlates of pathway profiles and Shannon’s entropy index to assess the heterogeneity in pathways to childlessness among successive cohorts. Results revealed five distinct profiles of pathways to childlessness: the Never-Married Semi-Professionals, the Low-Flex Blue-Collars, the Highly Educated Professionals, the Ever-Married Semi-Professionals, and the Flexible Blue-Collars. These pathway profiles were significantly associated with sociodemographic characteristics such as gender and family background. Women’s pathways to childlessness were more standardized and heavily influenced by partnership characteristics, compared to those of men. The childless from privileged family background were less likely to follow pathways characterized by disadvantageous education and occupational status. There are also rising trends of voluntary childlessness among married childless individuals and increasing heterogeneity in pathways to childlessness across successive birth cohorts. In sum, our findings are consistent with some of the predictions of the Second Demographic Transition, suggesting that Singapore may be experiencing a demographic transition characterized by rising childlessness, decoupling of marriage and childbearing, and de-standardization of the life course. -
Wang, Yanwen. 2024. “Educational Mobility and Subjective Well-Being from an Intergenerational Perspective.” Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 90(100917) doi:10.1016/j.rssm.2024.100917.
Abstract
The well-being implications of intergenerational educational mobility have been extensively studied, yet the focus predominantly lies on primary movers—individuals who themselves move up or down the educational ladder. Less is known about the impact of adult children’s educational mobility on their parents’ subjective well-being. Moreover, the role of family structures and gender dynamics in shaping the well-being outcomes of such mobility has often been overlooked. The study employs the Diagonal Mobility Model to estimate the effects of net mobility on subjective well-being, independently of both parents’ (origin) and their adult children’s (destination) educational levels, using data from the 2010 China Family Panel Studies. The results show that the subjective well-being of both generations was influenced by origin and destination, with a more pronounced effect from their own education. Notably, downward mobility adversely affected individuals’ and their parents’ subjective well-being, a phenomenon observed exclusively among those in only-child families. Among these parents, mothers with an upwardly mobile daughter reported the highest life satisfaction. These findings point to a shift in the traditional gendered parent-child dynamics and underscore the adverse consequences of downward mobility that sway both generations in only-child families.
Revisions
Wang, Yanwen, and Zheng Mu. “Understanding Trends in Marital Sorting by Education in China: A Decomposition Approach.” (Minor Revision, Demography)
Abstract
Over the past decades, patterns of educational sorting in marriage have changed dramatically in China, exhibiting a U-shaped trajectory for homogamy, an inverted U-shaped curve for female hypergamy, and a consistently low prevalence of female hypogamy. However, few studies have systematically examined why these changes occurred as they did. Using data from China’s censuses in 1982, 1990, 2000, and 2010, this study employs a decomposition approach to disentangle the relative contributions of three driving forces: educational expansion, educational gradients in marriage rates, and assortative mating propensities. Results show that the initial decline in homogamy among cohorts born before 1965 was entirely attributable to educational expansion. For later birth cohorts, continued educational expansion contributed to rising homogamy and hypogamy and a concurrent decline in hypergamy. These influences offset the countervailing effects of a steeper decline in marriage rates among highly educated women. Assortative mating propensities increasingly favored homogamy and disfavored heterogamy, particularly hypogamy. Jointly, these three factors explain the rising homogamy, declining hypergamy, and stagnant hypogamy in more recent cohorts, as well as the enduring and, in some cases widening, urban–rural disparities in marital sorting.Wang, Yanwen, and Zheng Mu. “Breaking Ethnic Boundaries: The Evolution of Interethnic Marriage in China.” (Major Revision, Social Science Research)
Abstract
In multiethnic societies, interethnic marriage serves as a critical lens for understanding cultural integration and status hierarchies. Using data from China’s Censuses (1982—2010), we examine how these dynamics unfold in a context where ethnic disparities intersect with state interventions through preferential policies. Although uncommon, intermarriage with the Han majority gradually increased, occurring most frequently among the Manchu, Mongolian, and Southern minorities, and least frequently among the Kazakh and Uyghur. After controlling for ethnic compositions, we found cultural boundaries to become increasingly permeable for most groups over time except for Manchu. Our analysis of educational patterns reveals two distinct mechanisms for boundary crossing: more assimilated groups (e.g., Hui, Manchu, Mongolian) through educational assortative mating, and less assimilated groups through status exchange. Notably, the Koreans leveraged their educational advantage to marry Han spouses. In contrast, Han Chinese who were married to Tibetan and Southern minorities—those receiving the most substantial policy advantages—tend to have higher education than their endogamous counterparts. These findings reveal how marriage choices reflect complex negotiations between cultural preservation, social mobility, and state-structured incentives, providing insights into the persistence and malleability of ethnic boundaries in contemporary societies.Wang, Yanwen, Zheng Mu, Anni Ni, and Chan Zhang. “From Status to Soul: Gendered Ideals and Quests for Compatibility in Contemporary Relationships.” (Major Revision, Chinese Sociological Review)
Abstract
The individualization of personal life has spurred a shift in relationship ideals, from instrumental, role-based marital arrangements structured around gendered expectations to partnerships emphasizing autonomy, emotional fulfillment, and mutual compatibility. However, this process unfolds differently for women and men. This study examines gendered ideals and quests for compatibility in contemporary intimate relationships across key sociodemographic and ideational attributes. Drawing on data from a factorial survey experiment conducted among 1,225 never-married adults in China’s largest metropolises, the results reveal that women hold more progressive ideals than men, prioritizing not only a partner’s socioeconomic status but also egalitarian traits, such as the willingness to share housework. Unlike men, who show strong aversion to childfree partners, women are generally neutral toward a partner’s fertility intentions. Furthermore, while men apply ideational standards in a more rigid and absolute manner, women display greater flexibility, seeking alignment between their own and their potential partner’s ideational traits, especially for marriage. These findings underscore the persistent gender asymmetries underlying the transition toward individualized forms of partnership.
Working Papers
Wang, Yanwen, and Zheng Mu. “Asymmetric Assimilation or Mutual Adaptation? Intermarriage and Ethnic Disparities in Women's Full-Time Homemaking in China, 1982--2015.”
Abstract
Despite an increasing number of women leaving the labor force to become full-time homemakers. This study examines how this trend varies across China’s ethnic groups and its connection to rising interethnic marriages, using census data from 1982 to 2015. Multilevel logistic models reveal significant ethnic disparities in homemaking, with women from the Manchu and Muslim groups (Hui, Kazakh, Uyghur) more likely to be full-time homemakers than Han women. In contrast, Korean, Southern minorities, and Tibetan women showed lower probabilities. Analysis of intermarriage patterns uncovers asymmetric assimilation: Han women’s homemaking rates remained stable, while minority women’s rates converged toward Han norms. Among groups adhering to patriarchal norms (e.g., Hui, Kazakh, Uyghur, Manchu), higher education and a greater presence of Han populations at the prefecture level were associated with greater declines in homemaking linked to intermarriage. Among groups with higher labor force participation (e.g., Korean, Southern minorities), higher education mitigated increases in homemaking due to intermarriage, with Han concentration exerting minimal impact. These findings suggest that asymmetric assimilation results from a complex interplay of adaptation and resistance to Han cultural norms. This study provides insights into the social processes shaping gender and ethnic stratification in contemporary China and highlights diverse pathways of cultural adaptation at the intersection of ethnicity, education, and marriage.Wang, Yanwen, and Zheng Mu. “His, Hers, or the State's? Fertility Patterns in Interethnic Marriage Under China's One-Child Policy.”
Abstract
This study examines fertility patterns across ethnicities in China, focusing on Han—minority intermarriages that were often exempted from the One-Child Policy. We investigate whether fertility in these unions exhibits gender-symmetric outcomes (e.g., assimilation, convergence) or gendered transmission of norms, and how these patterns vary by policy constraints. Using census data (1982—2015), we identify an overall pattern of asymmetric convergence: fertility in exogamy falls between the endogamous norms of each partner’s group but gravitates toward the lower-fertility Han majority. Analysis by parity reveals a first-birth premium coupled with assimilation at higher parities, suggesting that intermarriage accelerates the transition to parenthood without increasing completed family size relative to the Han. Notably, policy exemptions elevate higher-order fertility in intermarriage toward minority levels. However, heterogeneity exists: alongside assimilation or convergence (e.g., Manchu, Mongolian, Tibetan), we identify a stronger influence of maternal norms among Southern minorities and gendered deficits in higher-order births among Hui and Korean intermarriages. Importantly, most of these patterns were historical, characterizing the early years of the One-Child Policy, and had largely dissipated by 2015 as fertility differentials across groups narrowed. These findings highlight the interplay of ethnic norms, gender dynamics, and state interventions in shaping fertility decisions.Wang, Yanwen, Zheng Mu, Anni Ni, and Chan Zhang. “Partner Preferences Among Never-Married Adults: A Factorial Survey Experiment in Urban China.”
Abstract
Objective: This study investigates the factors influencing perceived attractiveness of a romantic partner in urban China. Background: Amidst the deinstitutionalization of marriage, ideational factors have come to play a more central role in partner selection. Concurrently, gender differences in relationship expectations have intensified. Method: A factorial survey experiment was conducted to investigate how sociodemographic and ideational attributes influence perceptions of partner attractiveness in both marital and dating contexts. Data were collected between April and May 2025 from a sample of 1,225 never-married heterosexual respondents aged 25—34 across four metropolises: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Results: When seeking marriage partners, men prioritized fertility intentions, whereas women emphasized gender role attitudes, socioeconomic prospects, and emotional support; however, in dating contexts, both genders prioritized physical appearance, although men did so by a wider margin relative to other attributes. Gender differences were most evident in perceptions of housework arrangements, with neither gender willing to assume a greater share; in fertility intentions, where a partner’s unwillingness to have children was the strongest deterrent to marital attractiveness from men’s perspective but inconsequential to women; and in educational attainment, which women valued more than men did. Overall, women were perceived as more attractive in both marital and dating contexts. Conclusion: Profound gender differences in relationship ideals are likely driving the retreat from marriage in urban China. Bridging these gaps is crucial to alleviating such tensions.