From One Child to Two Children

This book dissects the reproductive intentions and behaviours of the one-child generation cohort in China, situated in the wider context of changing family life patterns and gendered lenses. Demonstrating that the one-child family is still favoured by the one-child generation, this book uncovers the socioeconomic dimensions and mechanisms of family relations underlying young people's decision-making processes. It also incorporates individual considerations and experiences of childbearing from over 50 interviews to contribute to the development of China's social policy. Whereas men's childbearing beliefs were relatively unexplored in the literature, the author included male interviewees to better reflect gender differences in relation to childbearing, employment and family. Analysing the relationship between life routine and the desire (or lack thereof) to increase China's population, the author argues that the current childbearing policy fails to accommodate theneeds and demands of young people, thus limiting the uptake of China's new policy.

Analyses the one-child generation's childbearing motivations through a personal and micro-level discussion Discusses the life choices and trajectories of individuals in China's urban areas Explores individuals' experiences of the childbearing policy, drawing from 56 interviews

Auteur

Shibei Ni is an assistant professor in the Department of Demography, Research Institute of Social Development at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in China. Her research interest focuses on reproduction, family practice, intergenerational relations and gender. For her PhD research she was awarded the Research Mobility Program Award by World University Network (WUN).

Contenu

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Fertility and Family in China.- Chapter 3: Investigating Young People's Reproductive Desires with a Mixed Methodology.- Chapter 4: Fertility Intentions of Young People Prior to the Introduction of the Two-child Policy.- Chapter 5: Young People's Fertility Intentions and Concerns Under the Two-child Policy Context.- Chapter 6: Family and Career Through a Gendered Lens.- Chapter 7: Conclusion.