Young Women in Cities: Urbanization and Gender-biased Migration

64 Pages Posted: 1 Aug 2023 Last revised: 25 Aug 2024

See all articles by Yumi Koh

Yumi Koh

The University of Seoul

Jing Li

Singapore Management University

Yifan Wu

Singapore Management University, School of Economics, Students

Junjian Yi

Peking University

Hanzhe Zhang

Department of Economics, Michigan State University

Date Written: August 25, 2024

Abstract

Young women outnumber young men in cities in many countries during periods of economic growth and urbanization. This gender imbalance among young urbanites is more pronounced in larger cities. We use the gradual rollout of Special Economic Zones across China as a quasi-experiment to establish the causal impact of urbanization on gender-differentiated incentives to migrate. We highlight the role of the marriage market in increasing rural women's chance of marrying and marrying up in urban areas during rapid urbanization.

Keywords: urbanization, migration, gender imbalance, marriage market

JEL Classification: O15, J12

Suggested Citation

Koh, Yumi and Li, Jing and Wu, Yifan and Yi, Junjian and Zhang, Hanzhe, Young Women in Cities: Urbanization and Gender-biased Migration (August 25, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4525175 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4525175

Yumi Koh

The University of Seoul ( email )

Seoul
United States

Jing Li (Contact Author)

Singapore Management University ( email )

90 Stamford Road
178903
Singapore

HOME PAGE: http://www.mysmu.edu/faculty/lijing/

Yifan Wu

Singapore Management University, School of Economics, Students ( email )

90 Stamford Road
Singapore, 178903
Singapore

Junjian Yi

Peking University ( email )

National School of Development
Peking University
Beijing, Beijing 100871
China

HOME PAGE: http://https://en.nsd.pku.edu.cn/faculty/fulltime/y/520194.htm

Hanzhe Zhang

Department of Economics, Michigan State University ( email )

486 West Circle Drive
East Lansing, MI 48824
United States

HOME PAGE: http://hanzhezhang.github.io/

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