ABSTRACT
Most studies on migration focus on labor and work-related moves. Relatively little attention has been given to marriage migration (Watts 1983). Typically, marriage is treated as one of the life events that trigger migration, and marital status is considered one of many factors that explain mobility differentials (Mulder and Wagner 1993; Speare and Goldscheider 1987). Marriage migration, defined as migration to join the spouse in another area usually at or soon after marriage,59 is often considered a special kind of migration for the goal of family formation (e.g. Lievens 1999). This chapter examines the relationship between marriage and migration in China and illustrates in particular how marriage migration sheds light on gender roles and relations in the household on one hand and women’s agency on the other.
