The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Fertility Intentions of Women with Childbearing Age in China

Abstract

On 31 May 2021, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed the policy that a couple can have three children, and rolled out more supportive measures to further optimize the fertility policies. However, while the Chinese government is further optimizing its fertility policy, the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 is raging around the world, which threatens the implementation of China’s fertility optimization policy. Based on this, this paper firstly explores the impact of COVID-19 on women’s fertility intentions. Secondly, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, this paper constructs a structural equation model to quantitatively reveal the specific factors that affect women’s fertility intentions under the epidemic, as well as their impact paths, and then puts forward corresponding suggestions for the government to solve the problem of fertility, aiming at delaying population aging and optimizing population structure. The research results show that: (1) COVID-19 lowers the fertility intentions of women of childbearing age. (2) During the pandemic, economic pressure emerged as the biggest factor affecting women’s fertility intentions. The decline in income caused by the pandemic has become an important factor in preventing women from having children. (3) The conflict between work and childbearing is still an important factor affecting the fertility intentions of women of childbearing age. The government’s provision of perfect childcare services and their strengthening of the protection of women’s employment rights and interests will greatly reduce women’s anxiety about childbearing.

Social norms and fertility intentions: Evidence from China

“…Improvements in education levels, health status, and the promotion of women’s employment and status brought about by modernization will all significantly impact fertility intentions. The effect of education on fertility intentions is complex, with access to higher education reducing fertility through channels such as increased investment in children ( Zhang et al, 2021 ), higher childcare costs, changes in traditional fertility attitudes, and delayed age at marriage ( Zhou, 2018 ; Chen et al, 2022 ). The rise in female status negatively affects fertility intentions because traditional gender roles place significant pressure on women to raise children, resulting in higher opportunity costs for women to have children, including punitive effects on career advancement and wage earnings ( Wang and Yang, 2017 ; Doren, 2019 ).…”

“…Specifically, social norms are a direct result of economic development, social transformation, and demographic transition and a vital mediating variable linking macro-level factors of the country and individual fertility intentions (see Figure 2 ). On the one hand, fertility policies and modernization processes have directly influenced individual fertility intentions and behaviors, primarily through women’s increased education and social status, and economic independence affecting fertility intentions ( Lu and Zhang, 2016 ; Wang et al, 2017 ; Jiang, 2020 ; Chen et al, 2022 ). On the other hand, these factors also silently shape and change fertility social norms.…”

“…Scholars have richly explored the causes of low fertility levels in China, offering explanations in terms of modernization and its associates [e.g., economic development ( Wang and Chi, 2017 ; Yu et al, 2021 ), rising female educational ( Zhao, 2019 ; Chen et al, 2022 ), health ( Clark et al, 2020 ; Zhang, 2020 )], fertility policies ( Jia, 2009 ; Zeng and Hesketh, 2016 ; Zhang, 2017 ), and individual factors ( Wei et al, 2018 ; Shen et al, 2020 ; Wang and Qiao, 2020 ; Zhang et al, 2022 ), respectively. Most of these studies have been analyzed in the framework of economic, wherein the decision to have children is examined based on cost–benefit analyses.…”

“…The contributions of this paper are threefold: first, this study improved the theoretical framework of fertility decision-making, as social norms are the bridge between micro-and macro-factors that affect fertility intentions. Second, most existing studies have focused on explaining fertility from an economic perspective ( Wei et al, 2018 ; Zhao, 2019 ; Shen et al, 2020 ; Wang and Qiao, 2020 ; Chen et al, 2022 ; Zhang et al, 2022 ), thus failing to acknowledge human beings as social beings. The individual fertility decision is affected by the social norms of the reference group.…”

Measuring Well-Being of Migrant Gig Workers: Exampled as Hangzhou City in China

“…Thirdly, some similar occupations are not involved (for instance, Internet housekeeping services). In further research, the research scope should be expanded and regional restrictions should be removed [ 47 ].…”