Family composition preference and reproductive behavior in Beijing, China.

Abstract

China's one-child policy has been implemented for almost two decades, the 1980s and 1990s. How should the government then modify this policy? This research studied the preferences for number and gender of children among Chinese couples by means of the 1991 Survey of Marriage, Family and Fertility in Beijing. Research interests focused on China's son preference, its cultural and social-psychological determinants, distribution across society, changes over time, and impact on fertility behavior. The study population of 2,152 married women and 1,985 of their husbands completed a questionnaire on family relations, living conditions, social and work orientations, work experience, mate choice and marital relations, actual and desired number of children, value of children, and health status. The survey showed that the one-child policy has received broad compliance; 97 percent of women in their thirties have only one child. Almost all of these women had more than one pregnancy, including at least one abortion. Statistical analyses of demographic and cultual variables showed respondent gender was the prime determinant of sex preference for children, while traditional ideas, age, and number of sons the respondent already has were also significant. Age, number of children, and education were found to most influence contraceptive use, while education determined the preferred method. University-educated women were more likely to choose the condom than the IUD or sterilization. Women who had no son were less likely to use contraception, and, when they did, were more likely to use temporary methods, such as the condom. To counteract potentially serious gender imbalance and discrimination against females, the author recommended intensive study of son preference, government commitment to gender equality, prohibiting prenatal sex identification, strengthening infanticide laws, family planning programs focusing on education, and a population policy of two children plus birth spacing.