Iteration of research question

I revised my research question from “How can we enable women to truly have decision-making power over their lives—especially in marriage?” to “How do social and familial expectations shape Chinese women’s decision-making in choosing whether or not to marry?” because the phrase “in marriage” in the original question was ambiguous. It could refer either to women’s decision-making within marriage or to their autonomy in deciding whether to enter marriage in the first place, which makes the focus unclear. The new question more explicitly centers on the decision of whether to marry, and emphasizes the influence of social and familial expectations in shaping that decision. This shift allows for a deeper understanding of how women are “prepared” or “shaped” before making a marital choice.

This enquiry aims to explore how Chinese women’s judgments and decisions around marriage are influenced by the broader social context and family culture in which they are situated.