Analysis of couples who have second children in Shanghai

Abstract

The relaxation of fertility policy in China makes it possible to observe and understand the patterns of childbearing behavior in low fertility settings. This paper takes Shanghai, a city with ultra-low fertility over the long term, as an example to analyze families who have had a second child since the adjustment of China’s fertility policy. The paper reports the major results of a survey of couples with Shanghai household registration (hukou) who have had a second child, and makes comparisons with other relevant survey. It seeks to answer the question "Who are the couples giving birth to second child?" The results show that most of the women who have had a second child after implementation of the Selective Two-child Policy in 2014 were born in the late 1970s and 1980s. Couples who had higher education levels and higher incomes, and in which the woman worked as a full-time housewife or worked in a less intense job with scheduling flexibility were more likely to have a second child. The ability of a couple to get help from their own parents for childcare, and the gender of the first child also affected the decision to have a second child. This study reveals that couples who have a second child tend to be those with better than average childcare resources. This suggests that formulating reasonable public policies aimed at reducing the cost of childbearing and childrearing would be an effective way to further release fertility potential.