Abstract
The first only-child generation born in the 1980s has experienced the great transformations in Chinese society under marketisation. Simultaneously, the state has re-emphasised ‘traditional family values’ to counteract increasing individualism and compensate the lack of public welfare provision. Based on interviews with 31 middle-class women and 11 men born in this cohort, this chapter investigates these women’s attempt to fulfil the ideal of a happy complete family. I apply the analytical tools offered by Illouz (Why Love Hurts: A Sociological Explanation. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2012) about love’s great transformation in Western societies to examine the conditions within which romantic choices are made, shedding light on why women make certain choices to find love and why love hurts for these women in the Chinese context.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life |
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan |
| Pages | 181-206 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2020 |
Publication series
| Name | Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life |
|---|---|
| ISSN (Print) | 2731-6440 |
| ISSN (Electronic) | 2731-6459 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2020, The Author(s).
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Gender Studies
- Sociology and Political Science
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
- Life-span and Life-course Studies