Ethnic Variation in Family Size in Urban China

Abstract

Using survey data (n = 1,715) collected in 2001, I examine Uygur-Han differences in family size in Urumchi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China. I show that Uygur ethnicity is a key predictor of family size in Urumchi. Employment in the state sector reduces the family size of Han Chinese. But it has no impact on Uygur Muslims. Married status is negatively associated with family size among the Uygurs but is not related to residence in a large household among the Han. I explain these contrasts with reference to the government preferential family planning policies for the Uygurs and the Han. These findings suggest that social status, ethnic culture, and government policy need to be combined to achieve a better understanding of ethnic families in China.