The Impact Of Internet Use On The Marriage And Childbearing Behavior Of Urban Women Of Childbearing Age In Chin

At present,the marriage rate of men and women of marriageable age in China’s cities and towns is decreasing,and the fertility rate of women of childbearing age is decreasing,which brings multiple challenges to society.On the one hand,the marriage rate of China’s population is gradually decreasing,and the phenomenon of "leftover men and women" in urban areas is particularly significant compared to that in rural areas,and urban areas have become the "hardest hit" area for unmarried men and women.On the other hand,the phenomenon of "childlessness" in cities and towns is obvious,and many scholars believe that the family planning policy is the main reason for the low fertility rate in China.However,with the gradual liberalization of China’s fertility policy and the implementation of the "the universal two-child policy" and even the "three-child" policy,China’s population fertility rate still has not rebounded much,and the gap between urban and rural fertility rates has been expanding.Meanwhile,the continuous development of information technology and the popularity of the Internet have brought great changes to people’s production and life.In view of the above background,it is important to study the influence of Internet use on the marriage and fertility behaviors of urban women in China.Based on the data of China Family Panel Studies(CFPS)in 2018,this paper empirically analyzes the impact of the Internet on the marital act and reproductive behaviors of women of childbearing age who live in urban areas using Probit and OLS models and analyzes the underlying mechanisms.The results of the analysis in this paper are as follows:(1)The Internet significantly increases the likelihood of marriage for women of childbearing age,and this conclusion still holds after addressing endogeneity and a robustness test.(2)Internet use increases the likelihood of marriage among women of childbearing age by expanding the breadth and depth of socialization and alleviating time constraints.(3)Internet use has a greater impact on "whether to get married" for women of childbearing age with agricultural residence,low education and long working hours.(4)The use of the Internet can significantly increase the possibility of having a "first child" and a "second child" for women of childbearing age,but it also prolongs the birth interval.(5)Further analysis of the mechanisms of the Internet’s influence on the fertility behavior of urban women of childbearing age reveals that flexible employment,entrepreneurship and information mechanisms are important ways in which the Internet influences the fertility behaviors of urban women of childbearing age,namely,"the first child","the second child" and birth interval,respectively.(6)The Internet has a greater impact on women with agricultural household registration and low education to have a “first child” and a “second child”,and the effect on the birth interval of women with non-farm household registration is greater.