Policy-Induced Fertility Suppression and Marital Satisfaction: Evidence From a Natural Experiment in China.

IF 3.6 1区 社会学 Q1 DEMOGRAPHY
Yuying Tong, Bingdao Zheng
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Having children is widely regarded as one of the most important benefits and purposes of marriage, particularly in societies that uphold traditional family values. Consequently, the suppression of fertility could have far-reaching implications for marital life that transcend childbearing itself. Previous studies have examined the impact of health-induced fertility suppression, but a gap remains in understanding how policy-induced fertility restrictions affect marital satisfaction. This study employs a nationally representative sample to examine whether Chinese couples' marital satisfaction improves when the potential marital utility on fertility is enhanced following the transition from the one-child to the universal two-child policy in China. Using a difference-in-differences design, the study finds that men who desire multiple children experience increased marital satisfaction after the policy change. Conversely, the same is not observed for women. Our study provides compelling evidence that the increase in marital satisfaction for husbands is driven by the improved evaluation of the marital fertility value rather than other unintended policy effects. Further, the policy-induced satisfaction improvement is more pronounced among men with more severely constrained or deeply ingrained fertility desires. The article discusses the broad impact of fertility policy on family life, the gender-imbalanced perception of this policy shift, and its theoretical and policy implications.

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来源期刊
Demography
Demography DEMOGRAPHY-
CiteScore
5.90
自引率
2.90%
发文量
82
期刊介绍: Since its founding in 1964, the journal Demography has mirrored the vitality, diversity, high intellectual standard and wide impact of the field on which it reports. Demography presents the highest quality original research of scholars in a broad range of disciplines, including anthropology, biology, economics, geography, history, psychology, public health, sociology, and statistics. The journal encompasses a wide variety of methodological approaches to population research. Its geographic focus is global, with articles addressing demographic matters from around the planet. Its temporal scope is broad, as represented by research that explores demographic phenomena spanning the ages from the past to the present, and reaching toward the future. Authors whose work is published in Demography benefit from the wide audience of population scientists their research will reach. Also in 2011 Demography remains the most cited journal among population studies and demographic periodicals. Published bimonthly, Demography is the flagship journal of the Population Association of America, reaching the membership of one of the largest professional demographic associations in the world.
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