Call for Papers

Special Issue of China Population and Development Studies

Family Lives in Transition in East and Southeast Asia:
Institutions and Digital Transformations

Guest Editors

Jia Yu (於嘉), Guanghua School of Management, Peking University, China
Yue Qian (钱岳), Department of Sociology, University of British Columbia, Canada

Background

Family life across East and Southeast Asia is undergoing profound transformations. Sociodemographic changes such as declining marriage rates, rising singlehood and solo living, sustained low fertility, ongoing gender revolution, shifting intergenerational arrangements, evolving family policies, growing labor market uncertainty, and widening economic inequality are collectively reshaping the landscape of family life in the region.

At the same time, digital technologies — from online dating platforms and social media to AI-driven parenting resources and digital care networks — are increasingly mediating how individuals form, maintain, and negotiate family ties, as well as how they encounter and respond to social expectations surrounding marriage, parenthood, and gender roles.

While existing scholarship has made significant progress in documenting specific demographic shifts, there remains a need for broader, more integrative inquiry into how family as an institution is being reconfigured. This special issue seeks to bring together diverse disciplinary perspectives and methodological approaches to advance our understanding of family change in contemporary East and Southeast Asia.

Aims and Scope

China Population and Development Studies invites submissions for a special issue that examines the ongoing transformation of family life in East and Southeast Asia. We welcome original research articles, comparative studies, and commentary/perspective pieces that engage with the institutional, digital, and sociocultural dimensions of family change.

Topics include but are not limited to:

• Changing patterns of marriage, partnership, and family formation
• Gender, work, and family: the gender division of labor, work–family conflict, and the role of family policies in reconfiguring family dynamics
• Intergenerational relationships, co-residence, care arrangements, parental investment, and children's outcomes
• Digital transformations of family life: how online platforms, social media, and digital tools reshape partner search, parenting practices, care provision, and public discourse
• Theoretical perspectives on family change in East and Southeast Asia, including critical assessments of existing frameworks

Types of Contributions

• Original research articles based on quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches
• Commentary/Perspective pieces offering theoretical reflections, critical assessments, or forward-looking analyses (approx. 3,000–5,000 words)
• Comparative or review articles synthesizing evidence across societies or subfields

Submission Guidelines

All submissions must be in English and should follow the CPDS submission guidelines.

Complete manuscripts should be submitted through the CPDS online submission system. Please clearly indicate this special issue on the title page of your manuscript.

All submissions will undergo a double-blind peer-review process.

Open Access

Selected articles of exceptional quality may be supported for open access publication, subject to available funding.

Contact

For inquiries related to this special issue, please contact:

Jia Yu, Peking University — This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Yue Qian, University of British Columbia — This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CPDS Editorial Office — This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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