Marriage Form and Age at First Marriage:

Using data from two surveys in three counties where the prevalence of uxorilocal marriage differs greatly, this paper analyzes the effects of marriage form, individual, family and social factors on age at first marriage and spousal age difference. The results show that, under the Chinese patrilineal joint family system, compared with the dominant virilocal marriage form, uxorilocal marriage significantly lowers women’s age at first marriage, increases men’s age at first marriage, and consequently increases spousal age difference. Education, number of brothers, adoption status, marriage arrangement and marriage circle also significantly affect age at first marriage for both genders. Age at first marriage and spousal age difference differ greatly in the three counties. These findings address the process and consequences of change in rural family and marriage customs during the current demographic and social transition, and may help to promote late marriage and late childbearing under the present low fertility conditions in rural China.