Divorce Chinese Style

Abstract: This study investigates Chinese-style divorce during China’s transformation period from 1970 to 2012. Specifically, the study examines the trend development of divorce, and demonstrates how marriage formation pathways and individual socioeconomic characteristics are associated with the likelihood of divorce across time. Event-history analysis is applied to longitudinal data from the China Family Panel Studies (2010-2012 waves). The results show a threefold increase in divorce from the pre-1990s to the 1990s. Surprisingly, the trend shifted to a plateau toward the 2000s. When cohabitation was in its initial stage of diffusion, individuals who cohabited prior to marriage had a substantially higher likelihood of divorce. As cohabitation became an increasingly prevalent practice in the 2000s, its effect on divorce weakened. The role of socioeconomic characteristics in divorce also varies across time. This study enriches our knowledge of family dynamics in contemporary Chinese society