Factors Influencing Decline Marriage and Childbearing Rates in China : A Review Paper

ABSTRACT

Marriage and childbearing are crucial life events in demographic research, and birthrate is considered an indicator of sustainable development in countries with low fertility and population growth. However, there has been a growing decline in marriage and childbearing intention rates over the last decades. China is among the countries experiencing low fertility rates, with marriage rates decreasing annually with the second demographic transition. The study aims at examining the key factors that influence Chaines’s marriage and childbearing intentions in light of the fact that marriage and childbirth rates have been declining among the youth in during the recent years. The study examined the field current state of the art, with a deliberate emphasis on including the majority of the research papers published recently. We used reputable scientific online databases and digital libraries such as Springer Link, Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and the ACM Digital Library to ensure a diverse selection of articles. To ensure comprehensive coverage, we employed a set of predefined keywords when searching relevant scientific databases. A total of 123 articles were obtained while only 51 were analyzed. The review results showed that factors such as lower levels of assets, perceived financial strain, and household income have been found to correlate with lower rates of marriage and childbearing. In addition, it clarified that education is another important factor influencing family behavior and decisions among youth.

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