The Four Types Of Marriages In China During The 1930s
During the 1930s in China, the Chinese and Americans shared the economic crash; “The Great
Depression” of the 1930s. Chinese women faced unemployment, the loss of their homes, and
poverty. In the nineteenth century, the marriage process was taken care of mainly by the parents.
They were the ones who arranged the marriage for their children. There was no choice in the
matter because this was the way marriage was handled. The Chinese felt that marriage was a
family matter, and not something personal. They felt that the marriage of two people was too
important to be left to their children. Four types of marriages existed in the nineteenth century:
major, minor, uxorilocal, and delayed-transfer. Major marriage involved a union between a
young adult woman …show more content…
The third type, uxorilocal, was similar to minor marriage, with the exception that the man
was transferred to the woman’s home. This was practiced in cases where the woman’s
household did not have a male laborer or a descendant to continue the family line. In a delayed-
transfer marriage, the woman remained in her natal home after marriage, or until the birth of the
first child, or permanently. This type was common in areas where women had “economic
autonomy” because of high earnings and power in the silk industry. The major marriage was the
normative form, and the others were practiced according to the circumstances of the two
participating families. During the war between China and Japan in the 1930s and 1940s, Chinese
American women from all walks of life entered the public arena to work on behalf of the war
effort in China. All of these things factor into the Joy Luck Club because in the first section she
talks about how her daughter wouldn't be defined by her husband. As I've previously stated,
women were forced into arranged marriages based upon status and economics. Also, in
Depression” of the 1930s. Chinese women faced unemployment, the loss of their homes, and
poverty. In the nineteenth century, the marriage process was taken care of mainly by the parents.
They were the ones who arranged the marriage for their children. There was no choice in the
matter because this was the way marriage was handled. The Chinese felt that marriage was a
family matter, and not something personal. They felt that the marriage of two people was too
important to be left to their children. Four types of marriages existed in the nineteenth century:
major, minor, uxorilocal, and delayed-transfer. Major marriage involved a union between a
young adult woman …show more content…
The third type, uxorilocal, was similar to minor marriage, with the exception that the man
was transferred to the woman’s home. This was practiced in cases where the woman’s
household did not have a male laborer or a descendant to continue the family line. In a delayed-
transfer marriage, the woman remained in her natal home after marriage, or until the birth of the
first child, or permanently. This type was common in areas where women had “economic
autonomy” because of high earnings and power in the silk industry. The major marriage was the
normative form, and the others were practiced according to the circumstances of the two
participating families. During the war between China and Japan in the 1930s and 1940s, Chinese
American women from all walks of life entered the public arena to work on behalf of the war
effort in China. All of these things factor into the Joy Luck Club because in the first section she
talks about how her daughter wouldn't be defined by her husband. As I've previously stated,
women were forced into arranged marriages based upon status and economics. Also, in