House price, gender spatial allocation, and the change of marriage matching

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between changes in housing prices and marriage patterns among Chinese residents, considering the evolving real estate market and increasing prevalence of homogamous marriages. Using microdata from the China Household Income Project (CHIP) and urban housing price data, our results showed the following: First, housing price levels significantly decreased the likelihood of residents engaging in hypergamous mating and marrying individuals from lower social strata. Second, regional fluctuations in housing prices could influence residents' marital matches by affecting the spatial distribution of genders. Specifically, the higher the level of urban house prices, the greater the crowding out effect on marriageable men, and the less likely men in that area were to match downwards and marry women from lower social classes. Third, heterogeneity analysis indicated that residents in the eastern regions, younger populations, and migrants faced greater housing price pressures in the process of marital matching, resulting in a more substantial impact on these groups. The study contributes to marriage matching theories and offers policy insights for real estate reforms.

Keywords

• housing prices
• gender spatial configuration
• marital matching
• homogamous mating