Birth Spacing Patterns and Correlates in Shaanxi, China

Abstract

This study shows that most women in Shaanxi Province, China try to have their first birth as soon as possible after their first marriage, and that the length of the interval between marriage and first birth is strongly correlated with the woman's age at first marriage. The length of the second and third birth intervals and the likelihood of going on to have a second or third birth are strongly influenced by the sex composition of children already born, the survival time of the child initiating the interval, the duration of breastfeeding, and the woman's occupation. There is significant regional variation in the length of birth intervals and in the prevalence of second and third births in Shaanxi. The findings indicate that China's one-child policy is far from being universally accepted in Shaanxi, including its urban areas. The persistence of many social, economic, institutional, and cultural factors promoting high fertility poses many obstacles to further fertility decline.