Marriage migration in China and East Asia

Abstract

This paper explores the connections between the shortage of women in China that is making it more difficult for men to find brides and the growing phenomenon of long distance marriage migration. It argues that marriage migration has tended to be from the poorer areas toward the richer ones. The movement satisfies demand from men too poor or disadvantaged to afford a bride from their local community. Women undertake marriage migration in the hope of achieving a better life for themselves or being able to help their families. A similar phenomenon can be observed in international marriage migration chains such as those from the Philippines, China and Korea to Japan, from the Chinese mainland, Vietnam and Thailand to Taiwan, and from North Korea and Vietnam to China. Marriage migration puts the women who engage in it into an especially vulnerable position.