Comparison of socioeconomic characteristics between childless and procreative couples after implementation of the two-child policy in Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract

Objective: In the context of China’s “two-child” policy, this study aims to compare socio-demographic characteristics and attitudes towards the desired number of children among couples of different family size. We describe the major reasons for and against couples raising a (further) child based on the theory of planned behavior. Material and Methods: An interview-based survey was conducted in Inner Mongolia among couples visiting marital registration offices, antenatal care clinics, kindergartens, and primary schools. Using prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals estimated from multivariate log-binomial regression models, socio-demographic characteristics and attitudes towards the two-child policy were compared between three types of couples: those without children, those with one child, and those with multiple children. Results: The sample consisted of 2,013 women aged 20-49 years and their partners. The top difficulty in raising a child was “increased economic burden”. Factors significantly associated with a reduced prevalence of raising children included the woman’s marital age and the couple’s educational achievement, employment status, and monthly income. Factors associated with an increased prevalence of raising children included a lack of inter-couple communication, having a perception of the strong influence of the two-child policy, and Han ethnicity. Conclusion: Significant socio-demographic differences were seen between couples with and without children in China. Childless couples were more affluent than single-or multi-child couples and they perceived the two-child policy to be less influential on their decision to raise children.