Social Sciences in China, 2023

Vol. 44 , No. 4, 2023

The Impact of Spousal Relationships on Fertility Intentions of One-Child Urban Young Couples

(Abstract)

Li Weidong and Luo Zhihua

Below-replacement fertility has spread from developed industrialized countries to some developing countries, including China. Based on the theory of the transformation of intimacy, this study utilizes the data from the Xi’an Special Survey on Child Rearing Costs and Fertility Intentions to explore the impact of spousal relationships on the fertility intentions of young urban couples and gender differences in this regard in terms of power relations, distribution of responsibility, and emotional connection. The study reveals that

1) an inverse J-shaped relationship (initially showing a decline followed by a rise) exists between family power equalization and fertility intentions, especially for women; 2) the greater the husband’s share of housework, the less he will desire fertility, but a wife’s level of satisfaction with her husband’s housework sharing increases her fertility motivation; and

3) frequent spousal interactions and emotional intimacy contribute to increased fertility intentions, especially on the part of women. From the perspective of the transformation of intimacy, the above results suggest that the impact of spousal relationships on young couples’ fertility intentions is increasingly strong and that continued promotion of gender equality in the family sphere is of great significance to reversing low total fertility rates.

Keywords: marital power relations, spousal relationships, fertility intentions, gender differences, transformation of intimacy