Who Still Marries, Who Has Children? Socioeconomic Gaps In Marriage and Reproduction In Asia

Marriage institutions across Asia are undergoing transformation. Delayed marriage, non-marriage, declining fertility, rising cohabitation, changing expectations around intimacy, and the growing visibility of diverse family forms point to the changing place of marriage in social life. Yet these transformations do not unfold evenly across social groups. A central question remains: how does the transformation of marriage and reproduction vary by socioeconomic status in Asia?

In the United States and other Western contexts, research has shown that marriage has become stratified by socioeconomic status, with marriage norms and practices becoming more deinstitutionalized among working-class populations. Some Asian societies, especially advanced economies, appear to show similar socioeconomic gaps in cohabitation, marriage formation, remarriage, same-sex intimate experiences, fertility, and usage of artificial reproductive technology. Explanations, however, vary. Structural approaches emphasize economic insecurity and inequality, while cognitive-cultural perspectives suggest that working-class populations may be less bound by institutionalized understandings of marriage and may play an active role in challenging and transforming the institution.

Asia also offers diversity for theorizing marriage and fertility change. In many East Asian societies, marriage and fertility remain closely linked, and non-marital childbearing remains uncommon. Yet across East, Southeast, and South Asia, family change has been shaped by different combinations of economic development, technological advancement, education, religion, kinship systems, welfare regimes, gender norms, legal frameworks, and migration patterns.

This panel invites papers on how marriage and reproduction are sustained, contested, or marked by retreat across Asia, with particular attention to socioeconomic differences and diverse forms of partnership and family formation.