Economic Development & Cultural Change

Under the Ancient Zhou (1046 BC – 256 BC), the purpose of marriage was to propagate the husband’s family line and unite two surnames. Husbands could ‘oust the wife’ (but not vice versa). Grounds for ousting included disobedience to her in-laws, childlessness, sickness, adultery, and gossip. Restrictions tightened under the Song (960- 1368 AD): divorce was deemed deeply immoral. Legal prohibitions were captured in proverbs:

“A good horse not bear two saddles, a good woman would not marry two men, and a loyal official would not serve two lords”.

“Marry a dog, stay with a dog; and marry a rooster, stay with a rooster”.

In 1975, only 2 in 1000 Taiwanese men were divorced. In 1978, China had the same divorce rate as contemporary India. Divorce was heavily stigmatised.

How did this change?

How exactly does economic development spur cultural change?

This piece draws on published literature, my cross-country comparisons, as well as my interviews with men and women from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.