Dr. Yue Qian is interested in understanding how gender intersects with family, work, and population processes—such as assortative mating (i.e., who marries whom), occupational segregation, and migration—to shape individual well-being and societal inequality.

Her current research focuses on three related areas in North American and East Asian contexts:

1. Patterns and consequences of assortative mating;
2. Family, work, and gender inequality;
3. The role of family, work, and gender dynamics in shaping health and well-being.

Most recently, she has been collaborating with researchers around the world to examine the social and mental health impacts of COVID-19.

For a full publication list, please see her Google Scholar profile.

1. Patterns and Consequences of Assortative Mating

Cross-national

Hu, Yang and Yue Qian. (2023). “Gender, Education Expansion and Intergenerational Educational Mobility Around the World.” Nature Human Behaviour. 

• Read a research briefing published in Nature Human Behaviour
• Read press releases from UBC and Lancaster University
• Read a brief report in Chinese

China

​Shen, Yang and Yue Qian. (2023). "How to Find Mr/Miss Right? The Mechanism of Search Among Online Daters in Shanghai." Journal of Family Issues. [PDF]

• Read a brief report in Chinese​ ​​

Qian, Yue, Yang Shen, and Manlin Cai*. (2022). "Gendered Age Preferences for Potential Partners: A Mixed-Methods Study Among Online Daters in Shanghai." Chinese Sociological Review, 54(3), 304-331. (* student co-author)

• Read brief reports in English and in Chinese
• Check out free access to this article​ ​
  

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​Fan, Suiqiong*, Yue Qian, and Alissa Koski. (2022). "Child Marriage in Mainland China." Studies in Family Planning, 53(1), 23-42. (* student co-author)

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​Tian, Felicia F. and Yue Qian. (2022). “Migration policies on migrant–native marriage: A multilevel analysis of 43 Chinese cities.” Population, Space and Place, 28(4), e2524.

• Read a brief report in Chinese​​

Qian, Zhenchao, Yuan Cheng, and Yue Qian. (2020). "Hukou, Marriage, and Access to Wealth in Shanghai." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 46(18), 3920-3936.

• ​Read a brief report in Chinese
• ​Check out free access to this article

​Xiao, Siqi* and Yue Qian. (2020). "Mate Selection among Online Daters in Shanghai: Why Does Education Matter?" Chinese Journal of Sociology, 6(4), 521–546. (* student co-author) [PDF]

• Read a brief report in Chinese​​ ​

Hu, Yang and Yue Qian. (2019). "Educational and Age Assortative Mating in China: The Importance of Marriage Order." Demographic Research, 41, 53-82. (Two authors contributed equally to the work) [PDF] [Replication Files]

• ​Read a brief report in Chinese​ ​

Qian, Yue and Yongai Jin. (2018). “Women’s Fertility Autonomy in Urban China: The Role of Couple Dynamics Under the Universal Two-Child Policy.” Chinese Sociological Review, 50(3), 275-309.

• Read brief reports in Chinese and in English
• Check out free access to this article
• One of the most read articles in Chinese Sociological Review​

​Tian, Felicia F., Yue Qian, and Zhenchao Qian. (2018). “Hukou Locality and Intermarriages in Two Chinese Cities: Shanghai and Shenzhen.” Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 56, 12-20. (The first two authors share primary authorship)

Li, Ningzi and Yue Qian. (2018). “The Impact of Educational Pairing and Urban Residency on Household Financial Investments in Urban China.” Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 39(4), 551-565. (Two authors contributed equally to the work)

Qian, Yue and Zhenchao Qian. (2017). “Assortative Mating by Education and Hukou in Shanghai.” Chinese Sociological Review, 49(3), 239-262.

• Read a press release in English and a brief report in Chinese
• One of the most cited articles in Chinese Sociological Review​

Qian, Yue and Zhenchao Qian. (2014). “Gender Divide in Urban China: Singlehood and Assortative Mating by Age and Education.” Demographic Research, 31, 1337-1364. [PDF] [Replication Files]​

• Read a brief report in Chinese

​United States

Choi, Kate H., and Yue Qian. (2023). "Differences in Occupational Homogamy by Race, Ethnicity, and National Origin: A Social Mobility strategy for Asian Americans." Demographic Research, 48, 483-512.

Han, Siqi and and Yue Qian. (2022). "Assortative Mating Among College Graduates: Heterogeneity Across Fields of Study." Marriage & Family Review, 58(7), 647-673. (Two authors contributed equally to the work)

• Check out free access to this article​​​​​​​

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​Han, Siqi and and Yue Qian. (2021). "Concentration and Dispersion: School-to-Work Linkages and Their Impact on Occupational Assortative Mating." The Social Science Journal. (Two authors contributed equally to the work)

Qian, Zhenchao and Yue Qian. (2020). "Generation, Education, and Intermarriage of Asian Americans." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 46(14), 2880-2895.

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• Reprinted in Migration and Marriage in Asian Contexts​

​Fan, Wen and Yue Qian. (2019). "Rising Educational Gradients in Mortality Among U.S. Whites: What Are the Roles of Marital Status and Educational Homogamy?" Social Science & Medicine, 235, 112365.

​Qian, Yue. (2018). “Educational Assortative Mating and Income Dynamics in Couples: A Longitudinal and Dyadic Perspective.” Journal of Marriage and Family, 80(3), 607-621.

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​Qian, Yue. (2017). “Educational Assortative Mating and Female Breadwinning Trajectories: A Group-Based Trajectory Analysis.” In Intimate Relationships and Social Change. Published online: 07 Sep 2017; 95-123.

​Qian, Yue. (2017). “Gender Asymmetry in Educational and Income Assortative Marriage.” Journal of Marriage and Family, 79(2), 318-336.

• Read a press release in English and a brief report (I, II) in Chinese
• The 2019 Wiley Prize in Family Science: The Alexis Walker Award

Canada

Cai, Manlin* and Yue Qian. (2023). "Digital Ethnic Enclaves: Mate Preferences and Platform Choices Among Chinese Immigrant Online Daters in Vancouver." Canadian Review of Sociology, 60(1), 130–153. (* student co-author) [PDF]

• Read a brief report in English​ ​

​Qian, Yue. (2022). "Disruption or Reproduction? Nativity, Gender and Online Dating in Canada." Internet Research, 32(4), 1264-1287.

2. Family, Work, and Gender Inequality

China

Yavorsky, Jill E., Lisa A. Keister, Yue Qian*, and Sarah Thébaud*. (2023). "Separate Spheres: The Gender Division of Labor in the Financial Elite." Social Forces. (* equal contribution)

​Qian, Yue and Jiaxing Li*. (2020). "Separating Spheres: Cohort Differences in Gender Attitudes about Work and Family in China." The China Review, 20(2), 19-51. (* student co-author)

• Read a brief report in Chinese​​​​

Qian, Yue and Yongai Jin. (2020). "Premarital Pregnancy in China: Cohort Trends and Educational Gradients." Studies in Family Planning, 51(3), 273-291.

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• ​Check out free access to this article

​United States

​Qian, Yue and Liana C. Sayer. (2022). “Gender and Educational Variation in How Temporal Dimensions of Paid Work Affect Parental Child Care Time.” Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World. [PDF]

Qian, Yue and Jill E Yavorsky. (2021). "The Under-Utilization of Women's Talent: Academic Achievement and Future Leadership Positions." Social Forces, 100(2), 564-598. (Two authors contributed equally to the work)

• ​Read UBC News coverage of this paper
• ​Read a personal reflection on the research journey​​​

​Yavorsky, Jill E., Lisa A. Keister, and Yue Qian. (2020). "Gender in the One Percent." Contexts, 19(1), 12-17. [PDF]

Yavorsky, Jill E., Lisa A. Keister, Yue Qian, and Michael Nau. (2019). "Women in the One Percent: Gender Dynamics in Top Income Positions." American Sociological Review, 84(1), 54-81. [PDF]

• Read a brief report in English

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​Qian, Yue, Claudia Buchmann, and Zhe Zhang. (2018). “Gender Differences in Educational Adaptation of Immigrant-Origin Youth in the United States.” Demographic Research, 38, 1155-1188. [PDF]

​Yavorsky, Jill E., Philip N. Cohen, and Yue Qian. (2016). “Man Up, Man Down: Race-Ethnicity and the Hierarchy of Men in Female-Dominated Work.” The Sociological Quarterly, 57(4), 733- 758.​

• Read Society Pages coverage of this paper

Canada

​Fuller, Sylvia and Yue Qian. (2022). “Parenthood, Gender, and the Risks and Consequences of Job Loss.” Social Forces, 100(4), 1642-1670

South Korea

Choi, Kate H. and Yue Qian. (2023). "The Rise of the Childless Single in South Korea." Journal of Family Theory & Review.

3. The Role of Family, Work, and Gender Dynamics in Shaping Health and Well-Being

China

​Fan, Wen and Yue Qian. (2015). “Long-Term Health and Socioeconomic Consequences of Early-Life Exposure to the 1959-61 Chinese Famine.” Social Science Research, 49, 53-69.

• Read a brief report in Chinese​​​

Qian, Yue and Chris Knoester. (2015). “Parental Status and Subjective Well-being among Currently Married Individuals in China.” Journal of Family Issues, 36(10), 1351-1376.

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Qian, Yue and Zhenchao Qian. (2015). “Work, Family, and Gendered Happiness among Married People in Urban China.” Social Indicators Research, 121, 61-74.

​United States

Qian, Yue and Wen Fan. (2021). "Student Loans, Mental Health, and Substance Use: A Gender Comparison among US Young Adults." Journal of American College Health.

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​Qian, Yue and Wen Fan. (2019). "Men and Women at Work: Occupational Gender Composition and Affective Well-Being in the United States." Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(7), 2077–2099.​​

• Read brief reports in English and in Chinese

​Fan, Wen and Yue Qian. (2017). “Native-Immigrant Occupational Segregation and Worker Health in the United States, 2004–2014.” Social Science & Medicine, 183, 130-141.

​Cross-national

​Fan, Wen and Yue Qian. (2022). "Constellations of Gender Ideology, Earnings Arrangements, and Marital Satisfaction: A Comparison Across Four East Asian Societies." Asian Population Studies, 18(1), 24-40.​​​​

​Qian, Yue and Liana C. Sayer. (2016). “Division of Labor, Gender Ideology, and Marital Satisfaction in East Asia.” Journal of Marriage and Family, 78(2), 383-400.

• Read a brief report in English

4. Social and Mental Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic

China

Qian, Yue and Wen Fan. (2022). "The Early 2020 COVID-19 Outbreak in China and Subsequent Flourishing: Medium-Term Effects and Intervening Mechanisms." Society and Mental Health. (Two authors contributed equally to the work) [PDF]​​

​Hanser, Amy and Yue Qian. (2022). "Pregnant Under Quarantine: Women's Agency and Access to Medical Care Under Wuhan's COVID-19 Lockdown." SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 2, 100095. [PDF]

​Fan, Wen, Yue Qian, and Yongai Jin. (2021). "Stigma, Perceived Discrimination, and Mental Health during China’s COVID-19 Outbreak: A Mixed-Methods Investigation." Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 62(4), 562-581. (The first two authors contributed equally to the work) [PDF]

Qian, Yue and Amy Hanser. (2021). "How did Wuhan residents cope with a 76-day lockdown?" Chinese Sociological Review, 53(1), 55-86.

• Check out free access to this article
• ​Read UBC Sociology News coverage of this paper​​
• Read a brief report in Chinese

​Qian, Yue and Wen Fan. (2020). "Who Loses Income During the COVID-19 Outbreak? Evidence from China." Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 68, 100522. (Two authors contributed equally to the work) [PDF]

United States

​Qian, Yue, Rebecca Glauber, and Jill E. Yavorsky. (2023). "COVID‐19 Job Loss and Re‐employment Among Partnered Parents: Gender and Educational Variations." Journal of Marriage and Family. (Three authors contributed equally to the work) [PDF]

Fan, Wen, and Yue Qian. (2023). "State Contexts, Job Insecurity, and Subjective Well-being in the Time of COVID-19." Journal of Happiness Studies, 24: 2039-2059. (Two authors contributed equally to the work)

​Lee, Rennie, Yue Qian, and Cary Wu. (2022). “Coethnic Concentration and Asians’ Perceived Discrimination Across US Counties During COVID-19.” Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 8. (Three authors contributed equally to the work) [PDF]

​Qian, Yue, Yu Xie, and Yongai Jin. (2022). "Belief in Science and Beliefs about COVID-19: Educational Gradients." Sociology, 56(4), 800-810. [PDF]

Yavorsky, Jill E., Yue Qian, and Amanda C. Sargent. (2021). "The Gendered Pandemic: The Implications of COVID-19 for Work and Family." Sociology Compass, 15(6), e12881. (The first two authors share equal first‐authorship) [PDF]

• Reprinted by Working in America Continuity, Conflict, and Change in a New Economic Era (5th Edition)

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​Wu, Cary, Yue Qian, and Rima Wilkes. (2021). "Anti-Asian Discrimination and the Asian-White Mental Health Gap During COVID-19." Ethnic and Racial Studies, 44(5), 819-835.

• Check out free access to this article

Canada

Qin, Siqi*, Manlin Cai*, Sylvia Fuller, and Yue Qian. (2022). "Gender, Parenthood, and Employment During COVID-19: An Immigrant-Native Born Comparison in Canada." Canadian Ethnic Studies, 54(3), 63-108. (* student co-authors)

​Wu, Cary and Yue Qian. (2022). “The Gender Peak Effect: Women Are Most Vulnerable to Infections During COVID-19 Peaks.” Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 937179. [PDF]​

​Fuller, Sylvia and Yue Qian. (2021). "Covid-19 and The Gender Gap in Employment Among Parents of Young Children in Canada." Gender & Society, 35(2), 206-217. [PDF]

​Qian, Yue and Sylvia Fuller. (2020). "COVID-19 and the Gender Employment Gap Among Parents of Young Children." Canadian Public Policy, 46(S2), S89-S101. [PDF]

• Read a press release and a brief report in English

​United Kingdom

Hu, Yang and Yue Qian. (2021). "COVID-19 and Adolescent Mental Health in the United Kingdom." Journal of Adolescent Health, 69(1), 26-32. [PDF]

• Read UBC News coverage of this paper​​​​

Cross-national

​Hu, Yang and Yue Qian. (2021). "COVID-19, Inter-household Contact and Mental Well-being among Older Adults in the US and the UK." Frontiers in Sociology, 6, 714626. (Two authors contributed equally to the work) [PDF]

• Read BBC, The Guardian, CNN, HuffPost, UBC News coverage of this paper​​​

Qian, Yue, Yongai Jin, and Yu Xie. (2021). “Belief in Science and Attitudes Toward COVID-19: A Demographic Standardization Approach to China–US Comparison, 2020.” China CDC Weekly, 28(3), 593-597. [PDF]

​Qian, Yue and Yang Hu. (2021). "Couples' Changing Work Patterns in the United Kingdom and the United States during the COVID-19 Pandemic." Gender, Work & Organization, 28(S2), 535-553. (Two authors contributed equally to the work) [PDF]