A Study Of The Relationship Between Occupation And Age Differences In Marriage

In the 21 st century,the low fertility rate and the imbalance of the sex ratio of the birth population contribute to the marriage squeeze.In short time,the sex ratio at birth cannot return to a normal state,and the age structure will become the important factor affecting marriage squeeze.This means,the moderating effect of age differences in marriage will be particularly important.Based on this,the study attempts to analyze the influencing factors of age differences in marriage,focusing on the relationship between occupation and age differences in marriage,and exploring its gender differences.This study uses the data of the Chinese General Social Survey(CGSS)in 2012,2013 and 2015,and the research subjects are limited to groups who are married,having a spouse and engaging in farming or non-agricultural occupations.Contingency tables and OLS linear regression analysis are main analysis methods.At the same time,the robust standard error of heteroscedasticity is used to reduce the influence of heteroscedasticity,and the multicollinearity is tested by the variance inflation factor(VIF).The contingency tables show: non-agricultural occupational groups' age differences in marriage are more concentrated on the range of 0 to 5 than farming occupational group.And non-agricultural occupational groups' acceptable range of age differences in marriage is smaller when female is older.There are also significant differences among non-agricultural occupational groups' age differences in marriage.Legislator,senior officials and managers' proportion of age differences in marriage,which outside the range of 0 to 5,higher than clerks,as same as technicians and associate professionals.The multiple linear regression analysis found that: first of all,in non-agricultural occupational groups,when controlling some variables,such as education and age at marriage,an individual's occupational status is positively correlated with age differences in marriage.The higher the occupational status,the more likely age differences in marriage shift positively.Secondly,the impact of occupational status on age differences in marriage is suppressed by education.Thirdly,there are significant gender differences in the relationship between occupational status and age differences in marriage.For male,occupational status has a significant positive effect on age differences in marriage,however,for female,occupational status has no significant effect on age differences in marriage.Similarly,occupational status has positive effect on age differences in marriage when male is older,but it has no significant effect on age differences in marriage when female is older.In general,hypothesis 1 of this study did not been confirmed,hypothesis 2 and hypothesis 3 were confirmed.The different relationships of the occupational status,years of education and age differences in marriage in gender groups indicate: in non-agricultural occupational groups,men with lower occupational status and women with higher occupational status may face more severe marriage squeeze.In comparison,women's age at marriage is the most important factor affecting age differences in marriage,while men's occupational status,years of education and age at marriage all play a role.By improving occupational status,men can adjust their marital age differences to ease marriage squeeze,but women cannot do the same.The economic variable,occupation,tends to enlarge age differences in marriage when male is older,but the cultural variable,education,has an inhibitory effect on this.At the same time,occupation's positive effect on age differences in marriage is mainly due to education when female is older.