Examining the Association between Job sector and Fertility: Variations by Gender and Parity

• In Event: Sociology of Population Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 4. Fertility Dynamics

Abstract

Welfare provision is insufficient and unequal in China, with the state-sector employees enjoying multidimensional advantages. These differentiations in access to public support may have complicated impacts on fertility. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies 2010-2022, this study examined how job sector impacts childbirths, focusing on the differences by gender of parents and parity of children. The cox survival models revealed that working in the state sector was associated with faster transition into first birth, particularly among male workers. For second births, we found that at the individual level, state-sector employment was negatively associated with men’s second birth. Among dual earner couples, state-sector employment significantly facilitated wives’ second birth, while delayed husbands’ second birth. Moreover, couples in which only the wife working in the state sector were most likely to have a second child whereas those with only the husband working in the state sector were the least likely for a second birth.

Authors

• Mengke Zhao, Peking University

• Yuying Tong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong