Two-child Family Policy and Its Implications in China: From a Gender Equity Perspective

• In Event: 231 - Section on Sociology of Population Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 01.

Abstract

To cope with low fertility and rapid aging population, the Chinese government has announced its two-child family policy. It is highly uncertain how this recently adjusted family planning policy would affect women’s fertility decision-making and behaviors in the low fertility context of China, and what its implications might be for women’s status. Current discussions on the two-child family policy predominantly center on its role in addressing structural problems such as population aging and labor shortage. Few have adopted a gender equity perspective as an analytical framework when evaluating the policy implications. Yet, we argue that a gender equity perspective is crucial for understanding the dynamics behind family planning policies and fertility behaviors. In this review article, we first synthesize relevant theories regarding gender equity and institutional conflicts to provide a conceptual framework to examine gender and demographic impacts of this policy in urban China, drawing insights from other low fertility contexts, including the Mediterranean and East Asian countries. Second, we evaluate the potential impacts of the recent two-child family policy on women’s status in urban China in the arenas of education, labor market, and the private realms of marriage and family. Contrary to the logic behind promoting conservative gender values and pushing women back to home, we argue that China’s demographic future lies in its commitment to achieving gender equity in both public and private spheres. Without comprehensive social policies and infrastructures to facilitate gender equity and work-family balance, the fertility level is not likely to increase as expected.

Authors

• Yingchun Ji, Shanghai University

• Shengwei Sun, University of Maryland, College Park

• Peter McDonald, Australian National University