Marriage and Family in East Asia: Continuity and Change

TLDR

East Asia has experienced more pronounced declines in marriage and childbearing than the West, yet many family characteristics remain largely unchanged. The authors review recent research on family behavior trends in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan and argue that these trends arise from a tension between rapid social and economic change and persistent family expectations, potentially driving socioeconomic disparities in family formation. They synthesize recent studies and apply theoretical frameworks to explain the observed trends. The study demonstrates that rapid declines in marriage and fertility can occur without major shifts in family attitudes or individualism, extending second‑demographic‑transition theory to East Asia.

Abstract

Trends toward later and less marriage and childbearing in East Asia have been even more pronounced than in the West. At the same time, many other features of East Asian families have changed very little. We review recent research on trends in a wide range of family behaviors in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. We also draw upon a range of theoretical frameworks to argue that trends in marriage and fertility reflect tension between rapid social and economic change and limited change in family expectations and obligations. We discuss how this tension may be contributing to growing socioeconomic differences in patterns of family formation. This focus on East Asia extends research on the second demographic transition in the West by describing how rapid decline in marriage and fertility rates can occur in the absence of major changes in family attitudes or rising individualism.