Working Papers

• Change in Legal Marriageable Age and Female Well-being Indicators
  • Abstract: This article explores the relationship between the increase in the legal marriageable age adopted in January 1981 and female empowerment and well-being indicators in China. We make use of the 2010 wave of China Family Panel Studies data. We observe that the adoption of the law led to an increase in age at first marriage for the cohorts of women affected by the law. We further find that women in these cohorts report higher well-being indicators: confidence in the future, life satisfaction, happiness, and self-evaluated social status.
  • Keywords: Marriage, Female Empowerment, Well-being Indicators
  • JEL: J12, I31, N45
• Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Happiness in China
  • Abstract: Governments and policymakers are increasingly aware of the importance of subjective well-being in policy and decision-making. Using five waves of data from the China Family Panel Studies, this paper uses the model of Zimmerman and Easterlin (2006) to study the effects of premarital cohabitation and marriage on subjective well-being in China. In addition to life satisfaction, we also add happiness as an indicator of subjective well-being. The results show that marriage has a “honeymoon” effect, that is, life satisfaction is significantly improved in the early stages of marriage (within two years after marriage), and life satisfaction returns to the premarital level two years after marriage. Marriage has a positive impact on happiness, but this effect gradually weakens over time.
  • Keywords: Marriage, Subjective Well-being
  • JEL: J12, I31, N45