Abstract
This paper reports the first set of estimates of the socioeconomic determinants of fertility in China using micro-data available from China's 1985 In-Depth Fertility Survey. Based on existing microeconomic theories of fertility, an econometric model was specified and estimated. The results indicate that even after age, marriage duration and child mortality are taken into account, education level of the woman, occupational status of the husband, the place of former and current residence, sex preference for boys, durable goods ownership, and family structure affect fertility. For the middle cohorts (aged 25–34 years in 1985), the relationship between fertility and education takes the form of a J-shaped curve.
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This paper is drawn from Essay II of my Ph. D. thesis submitted to McMaster University. I am grateful to Frank Denton and Byron Spencer for discussion in connection with the thesis and comments on earlier versions of this paper, to Ronald Lee, the external examiner of the thesis, for many insightful comments, and to Martin Dooley, Lonnie Magee and two anonymous referees for very helpful suggestions. I would also like to thank International Statistical Institute Research Center for supplying the data used in this study.
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Zhang, J. Socioeconomic determinants of fertility in China. J Popul Econ 3, 105–123 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00187287
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00187287