This thesis explores the current Chinese low fertility rate issues along with the correlated reproductive decisions of Chinese women. In the 1970s the Chinese government started to systematically enforce the birth control of the Chinese population. Under the one-child policy (1979–2015) it has along with economic, social and other factors achieved, a visible decrease in the birthrate (in 2021 only 1,7 children per woman were born) which created other challenges. The percentage of the elderly population is growing, while the number of the active population, important for the national economic well-being, is decreasing. Additionally, the ratio of male to female babies is remarkably disproportional (in 2020 there was 111 boys born on every 100 girls). As a result, in 2015 the Chinese government has reoriented itself to tackling these problems and promoting larger families, at first with two (the 2016 two-child policy) and then with three children (the 2021 three-child policy). The paper treats the factors that affect the reproduction intentions of Chinese women. It focuses on financial and time pressures, the deeply entrenched traditional models mainly within the household, and the challenges of the Chinese women engaged in the labor market. In regards to these phenomena it considers the state of the education system, organization of the child care services, high costs of living and of child-rearing, gender-specific division of labor, discrimination and the shortcomings of the family policies. Simultaneously, it summarizes the concrete solutions which could in the long run contribute to the increase in fertility.
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