ABSTRACT
Objective
This study uses unique, intergenerational data from Taiwan to examine parental pressure on adult children to marry.
Background
Despite the increase in delayed marriage and non-marriage in East Asia, there is still considerable parental pressure on adult children to marry, but little is known about the familial factors and social processes that contribute to this pressure.
Method
Using three waves of data from the Taiwan Panel Study of Family Dynamics (N = 585), this study employed a multilevel model approach to examine four theoretical hypotheses regarding parental pressure to marry while accounting for demographic and household characteristics, including the frequency of contact with parents.
Results
Parental pressure to marry remained prevalent, and several child characteristics including sexual minority status were associated with such pressure. Filial piety and familism among parents were not associated with pressure to marry. Divorced, separated, or remarried parents were less likely to pressure their children to marry. Among mothers, younger cohorts showed a lower likelihood of exerting pressure to marry. For fathers, the cohort was not predictive. Most cohort and cultural beliefs interactions were non-significant, indicating that cohort effects persist despite strong cultural beliefs.
Conclusion
Findings reveal that parental pressure to marry in Taiwan is shaped primarily by parents’ marital biographies and generational experiences rather than enduring cultural beliefs. It provides empirical evidence that marriage norms function as evolving life course processes, with direct implications for understanding cohort-specific patterns in marriage timing, fertility decline, and the changing salience of non-marriage across generations in contemporary East Asian societies.