Abstract: This study examines the impact of mate selection on premarital cohabitation and analyzes the influential mechanisms. “Introduced” and “self-initiated” mating are two main types of mate selection in mainland China. Since the start of reform and opening-up, “self-initiated” mating and premarital cohabitation has increased concurrently. This study develops hypotheses based on Chinese context and uses three-wave data from China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to examine how different types of mate selection affect premarital cohabitation by performing logit models and propensity score analysis. The results show that compared to couples introduced by others, couples who have met through self-initiation are more likely to cohabit before marriage, especially in less developed areas. These findings suggest that the changing pattern of mate selection from “introduced” to “self-initiated” mating has driven the emerging premarital cohabitation in mainland China.

Keywords: Mate Selection, Premarital Cohabitation, Family Modernization, Propensity Score Matching

摘要： 文章从择偶方式的角度探讨了出现婚前同居增多的原因，并结合宏观社会变迁对其影响机制进行了分析。“介绍认识”和“自己认识”是我国社会的两种主要择偶方式，改革开放以后，择偶方式演变与婚前同居增多同步出现。文章从家庭现代化、性观念转变、文化规范的约束、经济理性驱动等理论视角出发，阐述了择偶方式对婚前同居的影响，并利用中国家庭追踪调查（CFPS）的3期追踪数据检验了相关研究假设。基于Logit模型和倾向值匹配方法的实证结果表明，相对“介绍认识”而言，自己认识配偶会较大提高婚前同居的可能性，且择偶方式对婚前同居的影响在经济发展水平较低的区域更明显。这说明，择偶方式由“介绍认识”向“自己认识”演变推动了婚前同居快速增多。

关键词: 择偶方式, 婚前同居, 家庭现代化, 倾向值匹配