Changes in Marriage and Childbearing Decision-Making and the Timing of First Birth in Rural China

Ying Hong, Stockholm University

This empirical study investigates whether and how the pattern of family decision-making about marriage and childbearing influence the timing of first birth in rural China during the decades prior to 1990, based on data from a survey that interviewed both wives and husbands. This study finds that the first birth intervals decreased significantly over the decades under study. This decline is associated with the transition from traditional arranged marriages to marriages decided by the couple, and with the decrease in parents~{!/~} participation in decisions about childbearing. The first birth intervals also show a strong negative relationship with women~{!/~}s age at first marriage and the husband~{!/~}s level of education. Both wife~{!/~}s and husband~{!/~}s income do not show strong influences on the first birth. The findings of this study may imply a quiet revolution in sexuality in the traditional rural China during the recent decades.