Female Off-Farm Employment and Fertility Timing in Rural China
BackgroundAdvanced maternal age is associated with fetal outcomes such as higher risks of birth defects and very low birth weight. Off-farm employment is an important factor in fertility transition in many developing countries. This study investigated the association between off-farm employment and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.790436/full |
| _version_ | 1818775614487789568 |
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| author | Zheng Shen Zheng Shen Zhao Zhao Qisheng Ren Mingwei Yan |
| author_facet | Zheng Shen Zheng Shen Zhao Zhao Qisheng Ren Mingwei Yan |
| author_sort | Zheng Shen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundAdvanced maternal age is associated with fetal outcomes such as higher risks of birth defects and very low birth weight. Off-farm employment is an important factor in fertility transition in many developing countries. This study investigated the association between off-farm employment and fertility timing among Chinese rural women.MethodUsing data from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), we employed the ordinary least squares and instrumental variable approaches to estimate the effect of female off-farm employment on fertility timing decisions as well as the differences in the effect across groups.ResultsThe results show that off-farm employment participation is significantly associated with a later age at first birth, and the effect is stronger for women participating in wage employment than in off-farm self-employment. The delayed effects on fertility timing are also more pronounced for less-educated women and low-income families, implying a heterogeneous effect in terms of women's socioeconomic status.ConclusionStudies of the relationship between women's off-farm employment and fertility timing in rural areas of developing countries remain limited. This study provides important insights on this topic, and it lends support to efforts to design effective policies and practices to facilitate female employment, childbearing, and health promotion. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T10:59:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0e9541cc68c542b5ab130066cf724d9a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T10:59:50Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-0e9541cc68c542b5ab130066cf724d9a2022-12-21T21:10:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652022-03-011010.3389/fpubh.2022.790436790436Female Off-Farm Employment and Fertility Timing in Rural ChinaZheng Shen0Zheng Shen1Zhao Zhao2Qisheng Ren3Mingwei Yan4School of Economics and Management, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, ChinaZhejiang Province Key Cultivating Think Tank—Research Academy for Rural Revitalization of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, ChinaSchool of Economics and Management, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, ChinaSchool of Economics and Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, ChinaSchool of Economics and Management, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, ChinaBackgroundAdvanced maternal age is associated with fetal outcomes such as higher risks of birth defects and very low birth weight. Off-farm employment is an important factor in fertility transition in many developing countries. This study investigated the association between off-farm employment and fertility timing among Chinese rural women.MethodUsing data from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), we employed the ordinary least squares and instrumental variable approaches to estimate the effect of female off-farm employment on fertility timing decisions as well as the differences in the effect across groups.ResultsThe results show that off-farm employment participation is significantly associated with a later age at first birth, and the effect is stronger for women participating in wage employment than in off-farm self-employment. The delayed effects on fertility timing are also more pronounced for less-educated women and low-income families, implying a heterogeneous effect in terms of women's socioeconomic status.ConclusionStudies of the relationship between women's off-farm employment and fertility timing in rural areas of developing countries remain limited. This study provides important insights on this topic, and it lends support to efforts to design effective policies and practices to facilitate female employment, childbearing, and health promotion.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.790436/fulloff-farm employmentfertility timingwomenruralChina |
| spellingShingle | Zheng Shen Zheng Shen Zhao Zhao Qisheng Ren Mingwei Yan Female Off-Farm Employment and Fertility Timing in Rural China Frontiers in Public Health off-farm employment fertility timing women rural China |
| title | Female Off-Farm Employment and Fertility Timing in Rural China |
| title_full | Female Off-Farm Employment and Fertility Timing in Rural China |
| title_fullStr | Female Off-Farm Employment and Fertility Timing in Rural China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Female Off-Farm Employment and Fertility Timing in Rural China |
| title_short | Female Off-Farm Employment and Fertility Timing in Rural China |
| title_sort | female off farm employment and fertility timing in rural china |
| topic | off-farm employment fertility timing women rural China |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.790436/full |
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