{"paper_id":"291d37a2-9adc-4a85-9e7e-ea3f2c559b2e","body_text":"Parental Dictates: Marriage Sorting and SocialMobility in Imperial China, 1614-1854 | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Parental Dictates: Marriage Sorting and SocialMobility in Imperial China, 1614-1854 Xizi Luo This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9356061/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study examines how elite families maintained status through marriage under a meritocratic system, using genealogical data from 1,539 imperial examination successful candidates across 18 provinces in Qing China (1614–1854). Conventional measures substantially underestimate assortative mating. While the raw correlation between fathers’ and fathers-in-law’s social standings is approximately 0.4, correcting for measurement error reveals a correlation of 0.8, comparable to documented elite persistence rates. Despite this high assortative mating, systematic hypergamy existed: 80% of marriages within the lowest strata were homoga-mous compared to only 24% within the highest strata, reflecting marriage market dynamics where son preference, discouraged widow remarriage, and widespread concubinage created scarcity of marriageable women. Elite families strategically adjusted marriage patterns based on mobility trajectories, placing less emphasis on brides’ backgrounds when rising but prioritizing influential families when facing decline. Extended matrilineal relatives beyond fathers-in-law significantly influenced descendants’ outcomes, demonstrating that parentally arranged marriages created broad kinship alliances. These findings reveal marriage as a crucial mechanism for elite perpetuation even under formal equality of opportunity, showing how families strategically deployed marriage to mitigate downward mobility risks across generations. JEL Classification: J12, N35, O15 Marriage Social Mobility Elite Persistence China Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 29 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 13 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 13 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 13 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 08 Apr, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-9356061\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Research Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":624779709,\"identity\":\"90a45b28-b7df-4296-99fb-51c7b47dc30d\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Xizi Luo\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABDUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZgaGAwwFDAz8IA5jA5KMBF4tBgwMkg1QLTwEtYABUIvBAWK1GBxnfwi05bCc8bXDzx783GFjb8/e+4DhRw1D4swG7FokmxkSQFqMzW6nmRv2nklL7OE5bsDYc4whcTYOW/iZGQ6AtCRuu51gJs3YdjiBRyKNgYG3gSFxHg4tbMyMDWAtm2enfwNq+W/PI/+MgfEvHi38zMwMYC0bpHNAthxg7JFgY2AG2YLLYZLNbAwHEgzSjSVu55RJ9rYlJ/acSWM4LHNMwhiX9w3OH3/84UOFtRz/7PRtEj/b7OzZ248xPnxTYyM74wAOa0AgAV3gAKGIHAWjYBSMglGAHwAAFYRUQj/CatsAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"University of Manchester\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Xizi\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Luo\",\"suffix\":\"\"}],\"badges\":[],\"createdAt\":\"2026-04-08 11:08:41\",\"currentVersionCode\":1,\"declarations\":\"\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9356061/v1\",\"doiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9356061/v1\",\"draftVersion\":[],\"editorialEvents\":[],\"editorialNote\":\"\",\"failedWorkflow\":false,\"files\":[{\"id\":107484945,\"identity\":\"b2e4dadb-4023-4ff8-a83d-1f1c3e325244\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2026-04-22 02:33:20\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"manuscript-pdf\",\"size\":1294809,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"MXL080426.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9356061/v1_covered_9fed9bd5-fb24-4c13-89c2-d15ebdf79cf6.pdf\"}],\"financialInterests\":\"No competing interests reported.\",\"formattedTitle\":\"Parental Dictates: Marriage Sorting and SocialMobility in Imperial China, 1614-1854\",\"fulltext\":[],\"fulltextSource\":\"\",\"fullText\":\"\",\"funders\":[],\"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow\":false,\"hasManuscriptDocX\":false,\"hasOptedInToPreprint\":true,\"hasPassedJournalQc\":\"\",\"hasAnyPriority\":false,\"hideJournal\":false,\"highlight\":\"\",\"institution\":\"\",\"isAcceptedByJournal\":false,\"isAuthorSuppliedPdf\":true,\"isDeskRejected\":\"\",\"isHiddenFromSearch\":false,\"isInQc\":false,\"isInWorkflow\":false,\"isPdf\":true,\"isPdfUpToDate\":true,\"isWithdrawnOrRetracted\":false,\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"journal-of-economic-growth\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"joeg\",\"sideBox\":\"Learn more about [Journal of Economic Growth](http://link.springer.com/journal/10887)\",\"snPcode\":\"10887\",\"submissionUrl\":\"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10887/3\",\"title\":\"Journal of Economic Growth\",\"twitterHandle\":\"\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":true,\"editorialSystem\":\"em\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"Springer Hybrid\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":false},\"keywords\":\"Marriage, Social Mobility, Elite Persistence, China\",\"lastPublishedDoi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9356061/v1\",\"lastPublishedDoiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9356061/v1\",\"license\":{\"name\":\"CC BY 4.0\",\"url\":\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\"},\"manuscriptAbstract\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eThis study examines how elite families maintained status through marriage under a meritocratic system, using genealogical data from 1,539 imperial examination successful candidates across 18 provinces in Qing China (1614–1854). Conventional measures substantially underestimate assortative mating. While the raw correlation between fathers’ and fathers-in-law’s social standings is approximately 0.4, correcting for measurement error reveals a correlation of 0.8, comparable to documented elite persistence rates. Despite this high assortative mating, systematic hypergamy existed: 80% of marriages within the lowest strata were homoga-mous compared to only 24% within the highest strata, reflecting marriage market dynamics where son preference, discouraged widow remarriage, and widespread concubinage created scarcity of marriageable women. Elite families strategically adjusted marriage patterns based on mobility trajectories, placing less emphasis on brides’ backgrounds when rising but prioritizing influential families when facing decline. Extended matrilineal relatives beyond fathers-in-law significantly influenced descendants’ outcomes, demonstrating that parentally arranged marriages created broad kinship alliances. These findings reveal marriage as a crucial mechanism for elite perpetuation even under formal equality of opportunity, showing how families strategically deployed marriage to mitigate downward mobility risks across generations.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eJEL Classification: J12, N35, O15\\u003c/p\\u003e\",\"manuscriptTitle\":\"Parental Dictates: Marriage Sorting and SocialMobility in Imperial China, 1614-1854\",\"msid\":\"\",\"msnumber\":\"\",\"nonDraftVersions\":[{\"code\":1,\"date\":\"2026-04-20 18:28:45\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9356061/v1\",\"editorialEvents\":[{\"type\":\"communityComments\",\"content\":0},{\"type\":\"editorInvitedReview\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2026-04-29T12:27:01+00:00\",\"index\":\"hide\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"reviewerAgreed\",\"content\":\"137308675871159841689316540906492789351\",\"date\":\"2026-04-17T07:47:35+00:00\",\"index\":\"hide\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"reviewerAgreed\",\"content\":\"114740125670599955764044733414984867289\",\"date\":\"2026-04-14T02:45:38+00:00\",\"index\":\"hide\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"reviewersInvited\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2026-04-13T09:33:24+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"editorAssigned\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2026-04-13T07:02:39+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"checksComplete\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2026-04-13T07:02:16+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"submitted\",\"content\":\"Journal of Economic Growth\",\"date\":\"2026-04-08T11:00:51+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"}],\"status\":\"published\",\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"journal-of-economic-growth\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"joeg\",\"sideBox\":\"Learn more about [Journal of Economic Growth](http://link.springer.com/journal/10887)\",\"snPcode\":\"10887\",\"submissionUrl\":\"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/10887/3\",\"title\":\"Journal of Economic Growth\",\"twitterHandle\":\"\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":true,\"editorialSystem\":\"em\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"Springer Hybrid\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":false}}],\"origin\":\"\",\"ownerIdentity\":\"83a0cf2d-4e3e-4a0e-93e8-007cc34b73d2\",\"owner\":[],\"postedDate\":\"April 20th, 2026\",\"published\":true,\"recentEditorialEvents\":[{\"type\":\"editorInvitedReview\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2026-04-29T12:27:01+00:00\",\"index\":14,\"fulltext\":\"\"}],\"rejectedJournal\":[],\"revision\":\"\",\"amendment\":\"\",\"status\":\"under-review\",\"subjectAreas\":[],\"tags\":[],\"updatedAt\":\"2026-04-20T18:28:45+00:00\",\"versionOfRecord\":[],\"versionCreatedAt\":\"2026-04-20 18:28:45\",\"video\":\"\",\"vorDoi\":\"\",\"vorDoiUrl\":\"\",\"workflowStages\":[]},\"version\":\"v1\",\"identity\":\"rs-9356061\",\"journalConfig\":\"researchsquare\"},\"__N_SSP\":true},\"page\":\"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]\",\"query\":{\"redirect\":\"/article/rs-9356061\",\"identity\":\"rs-9356061\",\"version\":[\"v1\"]},\"buildId\":\"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd\",\"isFallback\":false,\"isExperimentalCompile\":false,\"dynamicIds\":[84888],\"gssp\":true,\"scriptLoader\":[]}","source_license":"CC-BY-4.0","license_restricted":false}