农村高额彩礼形成的社会机制研究

Social Mechanisms for Pricey Marriage Presents,or Betrothal Gifts in the Countryside

高额彩礼在农村的滋生、蔓延和不断攀升,已给农民家庭、农村社会及乡村治理带来诸多负面影响。要对高额彩礼问题展开治理,首先要弄清楚生成和形塑高额彩礼的社会机制机理。本文研究发现,高额彩礼形成的社会机制主要包括婚姻挤压机制、彩礼属性机制、彩礼归属机制、代际责任机制、婚姻市场机制五大机制。高额彩礼形成的基本逻辑是:农村婚姻挤压越严重,适婚男性需要支付的彩礼数额就越高;在彩礼支付属性越强的地方,彩礼的要价行为就越可能被认可和效仿;彩礼最终流向新婚小家庭,进一步提升了女方家庭的婚姻要价能力;在父代对子代婚姻责任强的地方,女方要价既有着力点,又能往高里要;婚姻市场机制决定了对本地婚姻市场依赖度越高的地方,“天价彩礼”就越可能出现。要治理高额彩礼问题,须在全社会倡导婚俗节俭,反对婚姻彩礼的无序攀比,旗帜鲜明地抵制极端婚姻行为和婚姻不道德行为,促进家庭和谐建设,形成积极健康的社会风情风貌。

The rise and rapid increase of pricey marriage presents in the countryside has brought forth many negative impacts on rural families,communities as well as village administration.To address this issue and its impacts,it is necessary to understand leading social mechanisms for shaping the issue.It is found that there are five mechanisms that are at play:the marriage squeeze,the attributes of betrothal gifts,the proprietorship of marriage presents,the responsibilities in intergenerational relationships,and the marriage markets.It appears that the rise of pricey betrothal gifts spring up higher when there is a severer squeeze on marriage,resulting in marriage-age men who would have to pay higher marriage presents.Moreover,in places where there is a stronger capacity to pay marriage presents,demands for them appear to be more acceptable.That is when these gifts are ultimately managed by the newly weds,such outcome would also increase the ability of the bride and her family to demand more gifts.Furthermore,in places where there is a stronger sense of intergenerational responsibilities,the bride side can often demand high-priced marriage presents with specific emphasis.When the mechanisms of marriage markets dominate the dependency of marriages to the operation of markets,pricey betrothal gifts highly likely come into play.To address this issue requires the promotion of frugality as part of marriage customs,against endless competition in comparison.When there is a social resistance to extreme and unethical marriage practices,an outcome is the promotion of family harmony and healthy social customs and practices.