住房是当代中国最为重要的社会议题之一。在中国特色社会主义市场经济体制下，国家制度与公共政策深刻地影响着中国居民家庭的住房获取与住房保有。其中，住房公积金制度作为中国资金量最大、覆盖范围最广的住房金融保障制度，在城镇居民家庭的住房消费中扮演日益重要的角色。本研究基于CHFS2011年至2019年的混合数据，以及对城镇居民家庭、城镇单位和住房公积金管理中心的深度访谈，运用社会分层的理论视角，从参与广度、参与深度和参与效度这三个维度考察不同社会经济地位的城镇居民在住房公积金制度参与中的差异，及其对城镇家庭的住房持有和住房不平等的影响。研究发现，在党政机关、事业单位和国有企业工作、社会经济地位（职业地位、收入、教育水平）更高的城镇居民，拥有住房公积金的概率更高，住房公积金的缴存时间更长，月度缴存金额更多，提取住房公积金的比例更高，提取金额更多，使用住房公积金购房的概率更高。金融素养在社会经济地位与城镇居民住房公积金提取和使用的关系中起部分中介作用。住房公积金能够显著提高城镇居民家庭的居住水平，有住房公积金的家庭，住房拥有率更高，住房数量更多，住房总资产更高，未来计划购房的概率也更高。而与此同时，使用住房公积金购房对低收入和低教育水平的家庭的住房数量、住房面积和住房资产的改善作用更强。住房公积金发展水平越高的城市，城镇居民家庭的住房不平等程度越低。最后，本研究还分析了城镇居民住房公积金获取和使用的地区差异、发展阶段差异和代际差异。本研究表明，虽然市场机制和再分配机制的共同作用使得社会经济地位较高的城镇居民家庭在住房公积金的获取、缴存、提取和使用上依旧占据优势，但是整体而言，住房公积金制度有助于改善中国城镇居民家庭的住房条件，提高住房公积金制度的发展水平有助于缩小中国城镇居民家庭的住房差距，缓和住房不平等。理论层面，本研究将社会学的理论视角与社会分层的逻辑引入住房金融研究，将包含住房公积金在内的住房金融制度纳入对中国城镇住房体制改革、城镇家庭住房不平等和住房分层的研究体系当中，补充并发展了现有的研究框架；实践层面，本研究推进中国住房公积金制度以及住房金融体系的健全和完善、提高中国的住房保障水平具有政策启示。

Housing is one of the most important social issues in contemporary China. In the context of socialist market economy with Chinese characteristics, institutions and policies have profound implications over the housing decision making and housing situations of Chinese urban households. Being the largest (in terms of amount) and the broadest (in terms of coverage) financial system of housing security in China, Housing Provident Fund (HPF) plays an increasingly important role in Chinese urban households’ housing consumption.This study is based on mixed CHFS data from 2011 through 2019, and deep interviews with urban households, entities, as well as the governing body of the HPF. The study, from the perspective of social stratification theoretically, examines different participation patterns in HPF of urban households from various socioeconomic classes, and the impacts of such differences on their housing ownership and the housing inequality among urban households. The participation difference of urban households is analyzed in three dimensions, participation breadth, participation depth and participation validity.The study finds that, employees of government bodies, public institutions, SOEs, and those of higher socioeconomic class (occupation, income, education), are more likely to have HPF, and to have longer contribution history, larger amount of monthly contributions, higher allowance, larger amount of HPF withdrawals and higher percentage of HPF utilization. Meanwhile, financial literacy plays a partial intermediary role in the relationship between socioeconomic status and the utilization of HPF of urban households. HPF can significantly improve housing conditions of urban households. Homeownership rate of families with HPFs is higher. Families with HPFs tend to have more properties, more housing assets, and are more willing to purchase real properties. Meanwhile, HPF exerts even more improving effects on lower-income and less-educated families, making houses more accessible, upgrading housing areas, and adding their housing assets. In cities with higher HPF penetration rate and better HPF system, housing inequality of urban households tend to be less prominent. Finally, the study also analyzes geographic, periodical and generational difference of HPF accessibility and utilization. This study shows that, the combination of market mechanism and redistribution mechanism allows urban households of higher socioeconomic class to have better positions in HPF access, contributions, withdrawals, and utilization. However, generally, HPF still helps to improve the housing conditions of Chinese urban households. The high-quality development of HPF system helps to meet the housing gap and mitigate housing inequality over urban households. In the theoretical sense, this study introduces a sociological perspective and the social stratification theory to housing finance research. The study supplements and develops existing researches by incorporating housing finance system (HPF) into current researches on Chinese urban housing reforms, housing inequality and housing stratification. In the practical sense, this study provides policy implications for developing HPF and further Chinese housing finance system, therefore helping to improve Chinese housing security system.