Empowering rural family networks: parental support and fertility intentions in China

Abstract

Introduction: Fertility decline in rural China raises concerns for demographic sustainability and gender equity. This study examines whether parental support to reproductive-age adults shapes fertility intentions and through which psychological pathways. Methods: We analyzed 4,263 reproductive-age respondents from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Parental support was measured along three dimensions—emotional support, caring support (childcare/household help), and economic support. Fertility intentions were the outcome. Depressive symptoms and subjective well-being were specified as mediators. We estimated logistic regressions with controls and conducted mediation analyses to test indirect effects. Results: Emotional support and caring support were positively associated with fertility intentions. Both effects operated partly through lower depressive symptoms and higher subjective well-being. Economic support showed no robust association. Heterogeneity analyses indicated that caring support had a stronger, compensatory effect among rural-urban migrant families and households in under-resourced areas. Discussion: Findings highlight the role of informal, family-based support, especially emotional and caring support, as empowerment mechanisms that enhance psychological well-being and strengthen reproductive agency. Policies that are gender sensitive and rural inclusive, such as expanding affordable childcare and mental-health resources and recognizing unpaid care, may help reduce structural inequalities and promote equitable, sustainable rural development.