This paper argues that“the fear of having two sons”is a gender structure phenom-enon that causes anxiety for some Chinese families.To prove the existence of such a fear in some families,this paper considers three as...This paper argues that“the fear of having two sons”is a gender structure phenom-enon that causes anxiety for some Chinese families.To prove the existence of such a fear in some families,this paper considers three aspects:the ideal gender structure of children,women’s childbearing plan for second children and their actual child-bearing behavior.Data for nine provinces is taken from the China Fertility Survey of 2017.This paper finds that:(1)except for having no children,2 sons and 0 daughters is the most undesired gender structure;(2)among those who expect 1 son and 1 daughter,women whose first child is a son are less likely to plan to have a second child than those whose first child is a daughter;(3)among those who expect 1 son and 1 daughter,women with a son as the first child are less likely to have a second child than those with a daughter.These findings prove that,at present,the phenom-enon of the fear of having two sons does exist in some Chinese families.Finally,this paper summarizes how the attitudes of Chinese families towards having sons have changed since the 1950s from“a hope for having many sons”to“a desire for at least one son”and finally to“the fear of having two sons.”The paper also discusses the significance of the fear of having two sons phenomenon in terms of improving the proximate determinants of low fertility model.展开更多
Using data from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study,this paper analyzes how the health of parents is causally linked to the gender of their children.We find that,compared with parents with no daugh...Using data from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study,this paper analyzes how the health of parents is causally linked to the gender of their children.We find that,compared with parents with no daughters,those with one daughter are healthier by 0.155 more activities of daily living.This effect is mainly channeled through the provision of emotional comfort and financial support,and not through living with parents.We also confirm that daughters are an important source of financial and emotional support for elderly parents,regardless of whether the parents have pension insurance.This study has important policy implications fo r China as it focuses on the support from daughters,who historically have not been considered to be as reliable as sons in supporting their parents.展开更多
文摘This paper argues that“the fear of having two sons”is a gender structure phenom-enon that causes anxiety for some Chinese families.To prove the existence of such a fear in some families,this paper considers three aspects:the ideal gender structure of children,women’s childbearing plan for second children and their actual child-bearing behavior.Data for nine provinces is taken from the China Fertility Survey of 2017.This paper finds that:(1)except for having no children,2 sons and 0 daughters is the most undesired gender structure;(2)among those who expect 1 son and 1 daughter,women whose first child is a son are less likely to plan to have a second child than those whose first child is a daughter;(3)among those who expect 1 son and 1 daughter,women with a son as the first child are less likely to have a second child than those with a daughter.These findings prove that,at present,the phenom-enon of the fear of having two sons does exist in some Chinese families.Finally,this paper summarizes how the attitudes of Chinese families towards having sons have changed since the 1950s from“a hope for having many sons”to“a desire for at least one son”and finally to“the fear of having two sons.”The paper also discusses the significance of the fear of having two sons phenomenon in terms of improving the proximate determinants of low fertility model.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.72003170)Zhejiang University-International Food Policy Research Institute Center for International Development Studies(No.126000-541902/006)Zhejiang Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences(No.21NDQN219YB).
文摘Using data from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study,this paper analyzes how the health of parents is causally linked to the gender of their children.We find that,compared with parents with no daughters,those with one daughter are healthier by 0.155 more activities of daily living.This effect is mainly channeled through the provision of emotional comfort and financial support,and not through living with parents.We also confirm that daughters are an important source of financial and emotional support for elderly parents,regardless of whether the parents have pension insurance.This study has important policy implications fo r China as it focuses on the support from daughters,who historically have not been considered to be as reliable as sons in supporting their parents.
