城市中产阶层家庭嫁妆研究——性别规范、孝道伦理和代际关系的杂糅变迁

Dowries for China's Urban Middle-Class Families:Changes in Gender Norms,Filial Piety Ethics,and Intergenerational Relationships

已有关于婚姻财物流动的研究大多从男方家庭特别是父母的视角出发,聚焦农村彩礼问题,但对其背后的父权文化逻辑批判反思尚嫌不足。本文聚焦女方家庭,同时纳入父母视角和女儿视角,调查城市中产父母为女儿准备嫁妆的过程,并关注婚后女儿对于嫁妆的理解、保管和使用。本文发现,首先,在为女儿准备嫁妆的过程中,这些中产父母有策略地运用传统现代镶嵌杂糅的新中式文化资本包:既有传统性别规范的“面子”又有现代法律知识的“里子”;“真金白银”和房产加持的高额嫁妆,承载了女方家庭代际一体的财产联结关系与父母婉转而强烈的“女儿养老”期待。其次,女儿婚后对嫁妆的理解、管理和使用,进一步反映出中国家庭关系的双系化进程与孝道伦理的现代化转型。孝道观念非但没有衰退,反而演化出新质生命力:传统孝道出现了尽孝对象的双系化和过程的代际平衡化。作为已婚的年轻女性,她们进行孝道实践的对象不再局限于作为父系家长的公婆,还延展到原生家庭的父母,并且基于“浓稠”的代际情感,女方父母和女儿之间的关系不仅仅是一种自上而下的“单行线”模式,更是一种互相依赖、双向奔赴、代际亲密共生的中国式现代家庭模式。

Existing research on the use of matrimonial property begins primarily from the perspective of the groom's family,especially his parents,and often is focused on issues including rural bride price.There lack critical reflections on the underlying logic of patriarchal culture.This study focuses on women's families,including both the parents'and the daughter's perspectives.It investigates the dowry preparation process for their daughters by urban middle-class parents,and the daughters'understanding,management,and usage of their dowries after marriage.We find that during the preparation of their daughter's dowry,these parents strategically utilize a set of cultural capital mixed between both traditional and modern elements,including adhering to traditional gender norms on“surface”while also incorporating modern legal knowledge in the“inner lining”.Moreover,the big dowry,featuring gold jewelries and real estate,carries an intergenerational unified property tie of the bride's family and the parents'subtle yet strong expectations for their daughter's support for their old age.The daughter's understanding,management,and usage of the dowries during her marriage further reflect the forming of bilateral kinship family relationships and the transformation of traditional filial piety ethics.The concept of filial piety has not declined but has evolved with a new quality of vitality.Traditional filial piety has undergone a shift towards bilateral kinships and a balance of responsibilities among generations.As married women,their practice of filial piety extends beyond their in-laws as the patriarchal parents to include their own parents in their family of origin,based on“dense”intergenerational emotional bonds.The relationship between the daughter and the daughter's parents is not merely a“one-way”street,but a model of mutual dependence and a“two-way devotion”,reflecting an intimate symbiosis between parents and children.