5,669
edits
Difference between revisions of "Caili (China)"
no edit summary
Editor2018 (talk | contribs) |
|||
| Line 35: | Line 35: | ||
|} | |} | ||
In the patrilocal context, marriage usually means marrying a bride into the groom’s family while marrying her out of her own. The bride is normally given a dowry, money, or property by her parents for the marriage. However, a dowry is not compulsory and often is valued less. ''Caili'' has a long history in China (Jiang and Sánchez-Barricarte, 2012), but with the growing Chinese economy, it is becoming an excessive burden for many families. Economic growth itself cannot fully explain the scale and dramatic increase of the ‘bride price,’ resulting also from the gender imbalance in China (Caldwell, Reddy, & Caldwell, 1983 | In the patrilocal context, marriage usually means marrying a bride into the groom’s family while marrying her out of her own. The bride is normally given a dowry, money, or property by her parents for the marriage. However, a dowry is not compulsory and often is valued less. ''Caili'' has a long history in China (Jiang and Sánchez-Barricarte, 2012), but with the growing Chinese economy, it is becoming an excessive burden for many families. Economic growth itself cannot fully explain the scale and dramatic increase of the ‘bride price,’ resulting also from the gender imbalance in China (Caldwell, Reddy, & Caldwell, 1983). Demand for women surpasses supply in the marital market, which entitles females to higher bargaining power (Lv, 2006). In the Chinese culture, parents usually regard finding a spouse for their child as an obligation. The enthusiasm of parents stimulates the request for a higher bride price. Surveys have shown that the bride price is highly related to this type of competition. Bride prices symbolize compensation to the woman’s family losing a potential source of income (this duty to sustain parents is seen also in the practice of [[Wantoks and Kastom (Solomon Islands and Melanesia)]]. | ||
The history of betrothal gifts dates to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1045BC-771BC), where betrothal gifts were regarded as a blessing and a symbol of the bond uniting the families of the couple. Since the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) the extravagant spending in ceremonial events, like weddings and funerals, incentivized the practice of pricing wives. During the Tang dynasty (618AD-907AD), betrothal gifts were considered an indispensable dimension of marriages. Once betrothal gifts were accepted by the family of the bride, the union became legally binding (Si and Wang, 2018). The quantity and value of betrothal gifts reflected the families’ wealth and social position. | The history of betrothal gifts dates to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1045BC-771BC), where betrothal gifts were regarded as a blessing and a symbol of the bond uniting the families of the couple. Since the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) the extravagant spending in ceremonial events, like weddings and funerals, incentivized the practice of pricing wives. During the Tang dynasty (618AD-907AD), betrothal gifts were considered an indispensable dimension of marriages. Once betrothal gifts were accepted by the family of the bride, the union became legally binding (Si and Wang, 2018). The quantity and value of betrothal gifts reflected the families’ wealth and social position. | ||