Timing and pathways: differences in marriage behavior among migrants and local Shanghainese born in 1980–1989

Abstract The disparity in marriage timing between migrants and non-migrants in China has been detected. One of the explanations for this inequality is the hukou status. Yet, this explanation neglects a special type of migrants: those who have earned a local hukou. This study specifies non-hukou migrants, hukou converters, and local residents in Shanghai, and compares their marriage timing and pathways. Using discrete-time event analyses, this study finds that both non-hukou migrants and new Shanghainese (hukou migrants) are more likely to have a delayed marriage than their local counterparts, showing that hukou preference is not the sole explanation for marital inequality in China. Further estimations reveal that new Shanghainese spend a longer time entering a network-introduced marriage while they exhibit no difference in the timing of self-initiated marriages than local Shanghainese. The results indicate that hukou migrants are not deprioritizing marriage, but they lack social connections to the local marriage market. Non-hukou migrants encounter double disadvantages of lacking a local hukou and local social connections. Social networks are an alternative lens other than the hukou status to understanding marital disparities among migrants and non-migrants in China.