National will in the context of low fertility: exploring the Chinese childcare policies after the implementation of three-child policy

Abstract

ABSTRACT The childbirth policy in China has undergone significant changes since 2016. Changes in fertility policy have led to systematic legislation in public policies in relation to childbirth and childcare. This legislation review analyzes the current central- and provincial-level policies that are in practice after the enactment of the three-child policy in 2021. The study develops a conceptual framework by combining Brewer and Smith’s (2008) policy analysis framework and An and Peng’s (2016) typologies of familialization to analyze the policy goals, stakeholders, and policy tools in central- and provincial-level childcare policies in China. The study notes that policy instruments in the child-birthing stage have appeared to promote familialization, while the legislative focus of the child-rearing stage leans more towards the capacity-building of defamilization. The study also highlights a unique emerging childcare typology in the Chinese context: knowledge familialization, which refers to childbirth and child-rearing guidance.