中国高学历女性的“幸福单身”——对单身状态与主观幸福感的经验研究
|
摘要
近年来,随着中国高学历女性占比的不断增加,其婚姻状况与幸福感之间的关系却没有得到应有的关注,以往的研究只是将女性作为一个整体加以研究,而忽视了高学历女性这一群体的异质性特征。鉴于此,文章基于中国家庭追踪调查(2014)数据,实证检验了高学历女性的婚姻状况与其主观幸福感之间的关系。研究发现,高学历女性群体的单身状态能够显著提升其主观幸福感。进一步的机制检验发现,高学历女性主要是通过更加自主独立的婚姻态度、更高的人力资本价值和减弱的社会压力等途径来实现主观幸福感提升的。上述研究结果不仅有助于我们理解现阶段高学历女性婚恋与幸福状态之间的关系,更引发我们去思考个体"单身幸福"和社会整体"生育危机"之间的矛盾。
With the development and opening up of China's economy and the enlargement of universities,women have now surpassed men to become the main body of high education. At the same time,more and more highly educated women remain single at the age of marriage. In the traditional concept,single high-educated women are unpopular groups in the marriage market and are labeled as "dull" and "spinsters". But the truth is,part of women are being single not due to their poor attractiveness,they look decent and extroverted.So why do these highly educated women have a considerable percentage to stay single? How does singleness affect their well-being? Which path is this impact based on?This paper aims to improve the literature on marriage and well-being,and raise concerns about the phenomenon of single women's "happiness" and the overall interests of society.This paper puts forward four theoretical hypotheses. Based on the theoretical analysis and CFPS(2014)data,this paper empirically studies the relationship between the marriage and happiness of highly educated women. The main conclusions of the study are as follows:First,women with high academic qualifications have excellent appearance,high income,and great changes in their concept of marriage. Sometimes career choice is before marriage choice. Second,the single status of highly educated women has a significant effect on subjective well-being. The main paths of this role are:the mental independence guided by the individual's more equal marriage attitude;the recognition of economic and social status brought by the enhancement of human capital;the reduced pressure of marriage brought by the increased social and family tolerance of female singles. Third,non-highly educated women's single status reduces subjective well-being,which accords with previous research,and also explains the necessity of differentiation research.The conclusions bring inspirations both from the individual perspective and the social perspective. Most importantly,China is facing enormous fertility pressure,and the problem is rooted in the prevailing gender inequality in marriage and the unfair treatment of women in the labor market. The society should reasonably guide the equal views of family and gender,and the relevant policy design should also pay attention to the participation of the husband and protect the rights and interests of women.This paper expands the existing research in three aspects:First,it puts forward new arguments on women's marriage,that is,mental and economic independence brings new choices for highly educated women. Second,it gives a complete study on the marriage and well-being of highly educated women from theory to practice,as well as the influencing mechanism. Third,the current universal fertility pressure is contrary to the "single happiness" of highly educated women. How to guide individual happiness while not violating the overall interests can provide a reference for the future policy design.
With the development and opening up of China's economy and the enlargement of universities,women have now surpassed men to become the main body of high education. At the same time,more and more highly educated women remain single at the age of marriage. In the traditional concept,single high-educated women are unpopular groups in the marriage market and are labeled as "dull" and "spinsters". But the truth is,part of women are being single not due to their poor attractiveness,they look decent and extroverted.So why do these highly educated women have a considerable percentage to stay single? How does singleness affect their well-being? Which path is this impact based on?This paper aims to improve the literature on marriage and well-being,and raise concerns about the phenomenon of single women's "happiness" and the overall interests of society.This paper puts forward four theoretical hypotheses. Based on the theoretical analysis and CFPS(2014)data,this paper empirically studies the relationship between the marriage and happiness of highly educated women. The main conclusions of the study are as follows:First,women with high academic qualifications have excellent appearance,high income,and great changes in their concept of marriage. Sometimes career choice is before marriage choice. Second,the single status of highly educated women has a significant effect on subjective well-being. The main paths of this role are:the mental independence guided by the individual's more equal marriage attitude;the recognition of economic and social status brought by the enhancement of human capital;the reduced pressure of marriage brought by the increased social and family tolerance of female singles. Third,non-highly educated women's single status reduces subjective well-being,which accords with previous research,and also explains the necessity of differentiation research.The conclusions bring inspirations both from the individual perspective and the social perspective. Most importantly,China is facing enormous fertility pressure,and the problem is rooted in the prevailing gender inequality in marriage and the unfair treatment of women in the labor market. The society should reasonably guide the equal views of family and gender,and the relevant policy design should also pay attention to the participation of the husband and protect the rights and interests of women.This paper expands the existing research in three aspects:First,it puts forward new arguments on women's marriage,that is,mental and economic independence brings new choices for highly educated women. Second,it gives a complete study on the marriage and well-being of highly educated women from theory to practice,as well as the influencing mechanism. Third,the current universal fertility pressure is contrary to the "single happiness" of highly educated women. How to guide individual happiness while not violating the overall interests can provide a reference for the future policy design.
引文
[1]池丽萍.婚姻会使人幸福吗:实证结果和理论解释[J].首都师范大学学报(社会科学版),2014,(1):136-144.
[2]雷晓燕,许文健,赵耀辉.高攀的婚姻更令人满意吗?婚姻匹配模式及其长远影响[J].经济学(季刊),2014,(1):31-50.
[3]李磊,刘鹏程,孙婳.男性与女性,谁更幸福[J].统计研究,2017,(7):82-93.
[4]李美景.韩国“黄金单身女”现象研究——“黄金单身女”晚婚现象分析[J].青年研究,2012,(2):83-93,96.
[5]李煜,徐安琪.择偶模式和性别偏好研究——西方理论和本土经验资料的解释[J].青年研究,2004,(10):1-11.
[6]穆峥,谢宇.生育对父母主观幸福感的影响[J].社会学研究,2014,(6):124-147.
[7]齐亚强,牛建林.新中国成立以来我国婚姻匹配模式的变迁[J].社会学研究,2012,(1):106-129,244.
[8]王霞.第三次单身潮解析[J].中国青年研究,2006,(12):5-7.
[9]吴要武,刘倩.高校扩招对婚姻市场的影响:剩女?剩男?[J].经济学(季刊),2014,(1):5-30.
[10]许晓茵,陈琳,李珍珍.性别平等认知及其影响因素的研究评述[J].妇女研究论丛,2010,(3):87-93.
[11]袁正,李玲.婚姻与幸福感:基于WVS的中国微观数据[J].中国经济问题,2017,(1):24-35.
[12]Banerjee A,Duflo E,Ghatak M,et al. Marry for what?Caste and mate selection in modern India[J]. American Economic Journal:Microeconomics,2013,5(2):33-72.
[13]Blanchflower D G,Oswald A J. Well-Being over time in Britain and the USA[J]. Journal of Public Economics,2004,88(7-8):1359-1386.
[14]Currie J,Moretti E. Mother’s education and the intergenerational transmission of human capital:Evidence from college openings[J]. The Quarterly Journal of Economics,2003,118(4):1495-1532.
[15]Lyubomirsky S. The how of happiness:A new approach to getting the life you want[M]. New York:Penguin Press,2008.
[16]Macvarish J. What is ‘the problem’ of singleness?[J]. Sociological Research Online,2006,11(3):1-8.
[17]Soulsby L K,Bennett K M. Marriage and psychological wellbeing:The role of social support[J]. Psychology,2015,6(11):1349-1359.
[18]Wooldridge J M. Econometric analysis of cross section and panel data[M]. 2nd ed. Cambridge,Mass.:MIT Press,2010.
[19]Wu N, Wang Q Y. Wage penalty of overeducation:New micro-evidence from China[J].China Economic Review,2018,50:206-217.
(1)限于篇幅,本文未汇报详细的描述性统计结果,如有需要可向作者索取。
(1)限于篇幅,本文未汇报非高学历女性的详细回归结果,如有需要可向作者索取。
[2]雷晓燕,许文健,赵耀辉.高攀的婚姻更令人满意吗?婚姻匹配模式及其长远影响[J].经济学(季刊),2014,(1):31-50.
[3]李磊,刘鹏程,孙婳.男性与女性,谁更幸福[J].统计研究,2017,(7):82-93.
[4]李美景.韩国“黄金单身女”现象研究——“黄金单身女”晚婚现象分析[J].青年研究,2012,(2):83-93,96.
[5]李煜,徐安琪.择偶模式和性别偏好研究——西方理论和本土经验资料的解释[J].青年研究,2004,(10):1-11.
[6]穆峥,谢宇.生育对父母主观幸福感的影响[J].社会学研究,2014,(6):124-147.
[7]齐亚强,牛建林.新中国成立以来我国婚姻匹配模式的变迁[J].社会学研究,2012,(1):106-129,244.
[8]王霞.第三次单身潮解析[J].中国青年研究,2006,(12):5-7.
[9]吴要武,刘倩.高校扩招对婚姻市场的影响:剩女?剩男?[J].经济学(季刊),2014,(1):5-30.
[10]许晓茵,陈琳,李珍珍.性别平等认知及其影响因素的研究评述[J].妇女研究论丛,2010,(3):87-93.
[11]袁正,李玲.婚姻与幸福感:基于WVS的中国微观数据[J].中国经济问题,2017,(1):24-35.
[12]Banerjee A,Duflo E,Ghatak M,et al. Marry for what?Caste and mate selection in modern India[J]. American Economic Journal:Microeconomics,2013,5(2):33-72.
[13]Blanchflower D G,Oswald A J. Well-Being over time in Britain and the USA[J]. Journal of Public Economics,2004,88(7-8):1359-1386.
[14]Currie J,Moretti E. Mother’s education and the intergenerational transmission of human capital:Evidence from college openings[J]. The Quarterly Journal of Economics,2003,118(4):1495-1532.
[15]Lyubomirsky S. The how of happiness:A new approach to getting the life you want[M]. New York:Penguin Press,2008.
[16]Macvarish J. What is ‘the problem’ of singleness?[J]. Sociological Research Online,2006,11(3):1-8.
[17]Soulsby L K,Bennett K M. Marriage and psychological wellbeing:The role of social support[J]. Psychology,2015,6(11):1349-1359.
[18]Wooldridge J M. Econometric analysis of cross section and panel data[M]. 2nd ed. Cambridge,Mass.:MIT Press,2010.
[19]Wu N, Wang Q Y. Wage penalty of overeducation:New micro-evidence from China[J].China Economic Review,2018,50:206-217.
(1)限于篇幅,本文未汇报详细的描述性统计结果,如有需要可向作者索取。
(1)限于篇幅,本文未汇报非高学历女性的详细回归结果,如有需要可向作者索取。