Around the globe, changes in family structures and norms have resulted in a substantial transformation of many of the basic attributes of families and family life.  Marriage rates have been steadily declining in many countries.  In conjunction with decreasing marriage rates, fertility rates have also been decreasing in many nations.  At the same time, rates of cohabitation, along with rates of singlehood, have been rising.  Simply, in the perspectives of many young adults, marriage and childbearing are not their primary goals, particularly when considered relative to their desires to attain greater personal success (e.g., educational attainment, occupational attainment, income).  These patterns of lower rates of marriage and fertility are also occurring within a larger cultural context, wherein divorce rates, on the global scale, have been rising.  Again, from the perspective of young adults, divorce may represent an undesirable outcome to marriage, which can be avoided by choosing not to marry, at all.  Even among those who do marry, the average age at first marriage has been increasing, which also has implications for subsequent rates of fertility.  All of these changes have been associated with modernization, along with urbanization, cultural and political change, as well as technological change.

       In the case of China, many of these global patterns are also present.  Over recent decades, China has experienced lower rates of marriage, higher ages at marriage among those who do marry, higher rates of cohabitation, high levels of divorce, and, most notably, declines in its total fertility rate.  All of these shifts are associated with many of the same factors which are occurring on the global scale.  However, Chinese culture has long promoted the expectation that individuals should marry and have child, and thus continue the family lineage.  These cultural norms have existed for thousands of years, yet are now contending with the societal changes resulting from modernization.  In order to better comprehend the nature of changing marriage and fertility patterns in China, this study uses data from a multi-year survey of young women and men enrolled in public universities in China.  Overall, the findings demonstrate that both women and men express strong preferences for marriage, but at later ages than in previous generations.  Furthermore, while both females and males report a desire to have children, the overall preferred numbers of children are decreasing, over time.  These findings are discussed within the theoretical framework of modernization, and comparisons between these changes in China and the larger global patterns are discussed.

Keynote Presentation for the 11th International Psychology and Health Conference (PHC 2023), Chengdu, China – June 2 through June 4, 2023