Researches On Fertility Intention Of Urban And Rural Women Of Childbearing Age Under The Three-Child Policy

Since the 18 th National Congress of the Communist Party of China(CPC),China has gradually adjusted the family planning policy,which had been carried out for more than 30 years.The two-child policy was introduced in 2013 and the universal two-child policy in2015.However,data from the seventh census showed that the total fertility rate of women of childbearing age was only 1.3 in 2020,far below the generation replacement level of 2.1.In order to promote long-term and balanced population development,China decided to implement the three-child policy in July 2021.The Party’s twenty major report stressed the need to "optimize the population development strategy and establish a policy system for supporting fertility".Based on the background of the three-child policy and considering the dual structure of Chinese urban and rural areas,this paper starts a comparative study on the issues related to the reproductive intention of female in urban and rural areas,clarify the current situation and influencing factors of reproductive intention of female in urban and rural areas,especially the similarities and differences between urban and rural areas,in order to provide theoretical and practical reference for the establishment and improvement of supportive policy measures in urban and rural areas and the realization of three-child goal.Based on the summary of relevant literature at home and abroad,combined with the application of Marxist population theory,cost-utility theory,rational choice theory and planned behavior theory,this paper defines the basic concepts,compiled the fertility intention questionnaire of urban and rural women of childbearing age,and then summarized and analyzed the data of 546 questionnaires obtained from field investigation in H city,Hunan Province.The logistics model is used to analyze the influencing factors and the influencing degree of the fertility intention of urban and rural women of childbearing age.This paper uses cross list to explore the influencing factors of the willingness of urban and rural women with two children to have a third child and the supporting and hindering factors of the willingness of urban and rural women with two children.The results are as follows:First,women of child-bearing age in urban and rural areas have little desire to have a third child,and the rural area is slightly higher than the urban area.Most women want to have a second child,and there is little difference between urban and rural areas.Only 7.88% of urban and rural women of child-bearing age want to have a third child,9.23% of rural women want to have a third child,and 5.71% of urban women want a third child.More than 70 percent of urban and rural women of childbearing age want to have two children,and 50 percent want to have both children.In rural areas,only 4.24% of those aged 35 and above have given birth to a third child,while in urban areas,1.9% is even lower.Second,there are similarities and differences in influencing factors of fertility intention of women of child-bearing age in urban and rural areas.Similarities: The more willing the spouse is to have children,the more willing the women of child-bearing age who have bought social medical insurance are to have more children.Differences: The higher the female education level,the more children urban women will be weak;Migrant workers will increase urban professional women’s willingness to have more children.Third,there are similarities and differences in the influencing factors of the willingness of urban and rural women of child-bearing age who have had a second child.Similarities: The number of existing children and the fertility intention of spouses can significantly affect the fertility intention of women with two children in urban and rural areas.Differences:Education level only significantly affected rural women’s intention to have a third child.Age and the number of siblings only significantly affected the intention of having a third child among urban women of child-bearing age.Fourthly,there are similarities and differences in supporting and hindering factors for women of child-bearing age to have more children in urban and rural areas.Similarities:Supporting factors are reflected in having two children,liking children and carrying on the family line,while hindering factors are reflected in occupational risks and economic costs.Difference: The barrier in towns is child demand,"the number of children available to meet the needs of families."Based on the above analysis,combined with the implementation goal of the three-child policy,to improve the willingness of urban and rural women of child-bearing age to have a third child,and promote its transformation into actual reproductive behavior,the following suggestions are put forward: first,to explore the potential reproductive motives of families;Second,promote the integrated and high-quality development of urban and rural basic education;Third,protect the legitimate rights and interests of urban and rural women in employment;Fourth,improve the urban and rural inclusive childcare service system;Fifth,we will continue to improve the social security system from the perspective of supporting urban and rural women of childbearing age.