New Forms Of Family Structure And Relationships

As the one-child generation enters the marriage market,traditional marriage resources tend to be depleted.In order to cope with the structural dilemma of the marriage population,a different form of marriage from marriages and weddings-"Liang Tou Hun" marriage-has emerged in rural Shanghai.This paper takes the example of the "Liang Tou Hun" marriage in Long village and attempts to analyse the mechanism of the formation of this mode of marriage and its internal family structure and family relations.After an in-depth investigation of the "Liang Tou Hun" marriage in Long village,it was found that this marriage pattern,which is characterised by the combination of the weak concept of marriage,the low social structure of the village and the closed radius of intermarriage in Shanghai,has given rise to the "Liang Tou Hun" marriage,which is characterised by the absence of marriage,the bilateral main family model and the double line of succession,old age and inheritance.Within the "Liang Tou Hun" marriage family,the abolition of the bride price and dowry has resulted in an economic balance for both spouses.The marriage pattern of the two-headed family and the inheritance rights of each partner create a pattern of equality between men and women.However,the pressure on women to bear the burden of childbirth from the family alone made the relationship only ideally equal.There is a shift from a mono-lineage model of support to a dual-lineage model.Accordingly,the intergenerational relationship with a single lineage bias has been reconstructed to one in which men and women co-exist as equals.Intergenerational relations still play a role in "Liang Tou Hun" marriage families.The return of voice allows fathers to be highly involved in their children’s marital and family life through intergenerational interventions,but also through intergenerational resource compensation,which moderates intergenerational tensions and maintains a balanced family order.The elevated status of the in-laws in "Liang Tou Hun" marriage families breaks the traditional pattern of inequality.Based on local marriages,the in-laws seek to balance each other through wedding ceremonies and kinship titles that do not distinguish between inside and outside.However,this temporary state of equilibrium is likely to result in games over pension resources and the arrangement of offspring surnames,causing tensions and even breakdowns in the relationship,so in-laws are in a state of shaky equilibrium.In general,the "Liang Tou Hun" marriage is a joint choice made by fathers and sons,taking into account the needs of the individual and the family.The concrete practice of "Liang Tou Hun" marriage shows the interweaving of tradition and modernity,is a new form of family structure relationship.