Educational Status in the Marriage Exchange in Contemporary China

Abstract

In the late 1970s, Our country restored the college entrance examination system, emphasizing the important role of educational background, and also made it an important resource advantage affecting marriage exchange. However, the enrollment expansion reform of colleges and universities implemented in 2000 has led diploma to a sharp decline in the “glory” and the exchange value in the marriage market. This paper aims to make a brief analysis of the changes in the value of educational status (academic qualifications and diplomas) in marriage exchange during China’s past 40 years, and I will also briefly introduces the exchange characteristics of different genders in the marriage market. Due to the specific social and historical background, many Chinese’s specific social status and identity have played different roles in the marriage exchange relation since the establishment of new China. This has undergone more tortuous changes, reflecting the complex changes of contemporary Chinese society and its impacts on people’s marriage and family life. The paper aims to analyze the corresponding changes of educational status (academic qualification and diploma) in the marriage exchange, which has changed typically before and after the reform and opening up. Through comparative analysis, we can see that the social status and identity changes of the parties and their families in the marriage exchange have a close relationship with a series of formal and informal systems of the state and society in a particular historical period.