Second-birth fertility desire and social factors in married women in Zhejiang province, China: A cross-sectional study

• Main Authors: Chunyan Zhou (Author), Haiyan Xing (Author), Wei YU (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: International Journal of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care - Peertechz Publications, 2020-04-24.
• Subjects: Research Article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

<p>Background: After the universal two-child policy in China, the Second-Birth Fertility Desire (SBFD) has aroused widespread concern. There have been some research on SBFD, however, current reports on social factors and SBFD are not detailed. The objective was to investigate the impact of social factors on SBFD and to explore correlation between them.</p><p>Methods: By stratified sampling, 436 married women who had one child from urban area in Zhejiang province had completed the questionnaires in 2017. Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) was performed to clarify the relationship between SBFD and socioeconomic factors such as Socioeconomic Status (SES).</p><p>Results: The results showed that the determinants of second-birth fertility desire varyed across parities: SES, age and Couple from One-Child Families (CFOCF). MCA showed that couples both from one-child families or whose SES were "Mid-High" were inclined to have a second child. The "Not sure" second-birth fertility desire was related with one of the couple from one-child families and "Middle" SES. Married women whose SES were "Low" or "Mid-Low" or 40+ years old were not prone to have a second child.</p><p>Conclusion: Second-birth fertility desire was related with social factors, including SES, age and CFOCF. Government should be focus on people with middle and above socioeconomic status, couples who have at least one spouse from one-child family and people under 40 to improve the total fertility rate of urban dwellers.</p>