Abstract: China's birth rate reportedly rose in 1986, reversing a long-term trend toward low fertility. The results of a 1986 survey indicate that China's birth rate increased from 18/1000 population in 1985 to 20.8/1000 in 1986, consistent with a total fertility rate of 2.4 births/woman. In part, the birth rate increase reflects changes in China's age structure--a baby boom "echo" as the large cohorts of 1962-64 reach reproductive age. Another factor may have been the new marriage law of 1980 which lowered the marriage age to 20 years for women and 22 years for men. Aggressive implementation of China's population program in the 1980s was punctuated by periods of intermittent policy relaxation and exception-granting of the 1-child standard. Surveys from different parts of the country have documented popular interest in having 2 or more children. Finally, the increased fertility may be an effect of recent social and economic changes. The emphasis on economic development and modernization is creating new migrant populations in urban areas who are slipping through the system in terms of fertility surveillance. In addition, the privatization of agriculture is encouraging farmers to increase their productivity, and thus creating a demand for larger family size. It is unclear whether the apparent rise in China's birth rate is an anomaly or a harbinger of future fertility trends. However, China's fertility change is enough to increase the world's birth rate by 1 in 1987.
Publication Year: 1987
Publication Date: 1987-05-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['pubmed']
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Cited By Count: 2
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