ScholarLens Back to search
2017•China Population and Development StudiesOpen access

Effect of Sex Composition of Children on the Gender of Next Birth in the Context of Low Fertility in Rural China

Ying Li, Quanbao Jiang, Stuart Gietel‐Basten, Shuzhuo Li

Open full text 2 citations

Abstract

China currently has the world’s most skewed national sex ratio at birth. In this paper, we use data from China’s 2001 National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Survey and employ hierarchical logistic models to study how macro factors (mainly fertility policy and economic indicators, as represented by per capita GDP of the village units sampled in this research) and micro factors (mainly fertility intention and sex composition of children) affect the gender of the next birth. We find that the effect of fertility policies is intertwined with the sex composition of children already born. For those couples who have had a son (or sons), fertility policy exerts no effect; but for those with only daughters, the effect is significant. Furthermore, fertility intention, independent from fertility policy, has a significant effect on the gender of the next birth.

Open-access reader

About this research paper

What this paper is about

China currently has the world’s most skewed national sex ratio at birth. In this paper, we use data from China’s 2001 National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Survey and employ hierarchical logistic models to study how macro factors (mainly fertility policy and economic indicators, as represented by per capita GDP of the village units sampled in this research) and micro factors (mainly fertility intention and sex composition of children) affect the gender of the next birth. We find that the effect of fertility policies is intertwined with the sex composition of children already born. For those couples who have had a son (or sons), fertility policy exerts no effect; but for those with only daughters, the effect is significant. Furthermore, fertility intention, independent from fertility policy, has a significant effect on the gender of the next birth.

Why it matters

OpenAlex reports 2 citations for this work. Citation counts describe recorded attention and do not establish research quality.

Key contribution

A contribution statement is not available in the OpenAlex record.

Method / approach

Method details are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Main findings

Findings are not separately available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Limitations

Limitations are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Applications

Application details are not available in the OpenAlex metadata.

Available abstract

China currently has the world’s most skewed national sex ratio at birth. In this paper, we use data from China’s 2001 National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Survey and employ hierarchical logistic models to study how macro factors (mainly fertility policy and economic indicators, as represented by per capita GDP of the village units sampled in this research) and micro factors (mainly fertility intention and sex composition of children) affect the gender of the next birth. We find that the effect of fertility policies is intertwined with the sex composition of children already born. For those couples who have had a son (or sons), fertility policy exerts no effect; but for those with only daughters, the effect is significant. Furthermore, fertility intention, independent from fertility policy, has a significant effect on the gender of the next birth.

Key concepts: Fertility, Context (archaeology), China, Demography, Family planning policy, Affect (linguistics), Total fertility rate, Birth rate

Related papers

Related paper 1Related paper 2Related paper 3
Back to paper searchBrowse research topicsOriginal source
Effect of Sex Composition of Children on the Gender of Next Birth in the Context of Low Fertility in Rural China — Research Paper | ScholarLens