IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i21p14615-d965334.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effect of Work–Family Conflict on Three-Child Fertility Intention of Working Women of Reproductive Age under the Background of Active Reproductive Support: The Moderating and Mediating Effects of Anxiety Disorders and Life Stress

Author

Listed:
  • Maomin Jiang

    (School of Public Affairs, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Zhengyu Wu

    (School of Public Affairs, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Binbin He

    (Business School, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China)

  • Aixian Tu

    (School of Management, Hainan Medical University, Haikou 571199, China)

  • Yibo Wu

    (School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China)

Abstract

The declining fertility rate has become an important social problem. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between work–family conflict (WFC), life stress (LS), generalized anxiety disorders (GAD) and three-child fertility intention (FI) in working women of reproductive age. The data comes from the survey of the 2021 China Family Health Index Survey. The Mplus8.3 software was used to analyze the selected cases of 1103 female workers of childbearing age between 19 and 35 years old, and they all answered the relevant questions about the willingness to have three children. The results showed that work–family conflict had a significant negative impact on three-child fertility intention of working women of reproductive age ( β = −0.188, p < 0.001), The mediating effect found that anxiety disorder had a significant mediating effect between work–family conflict and three-child fertility intention of working women of childbearing age. In addition, the effect between work–family conflict and the three-child fertility intention of working women of reproductive age can be mediated through the chain-mediated effect of Life stress and anxiety disorders. At the same time, the regulating effect also found that life stress can effectively regulate the effect of work–family conflict on anxiety disorders. Therefore, it is necessary to alleviate the conflict between work and family to a certain extent, including employers giving women more understanding and care and reducing gender discrimination. In addition, relatives should also provide substantial labor support in family life. They can also rely on the community to establish childcare services, improve student night care services, and reduce the time cost of female education. Thereby alleviating the life stress and anxiety of female employees of childbearing age and improving their willingness to bear children.

Suggested Citation

  • Maomin Jiang & Zhengyu Wu & Binbin He & Aixian Tu & Yibo Wu, 2022. "Effect of Work–Family Conflict on Three-Child Fertility Intention of Working Women of Reproductive Age under the Background of Active Reproductive Support: The Moderating and Mediating Effects of Anxi," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-14, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:21:p:14615-:d:965334
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/21/14615/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/21/14615/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:bla:revinw:v:60:y:2014:i::p:s233-s255 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Zhang, Lin, 2022. "Patrilineality, fertility, and women's income: Evidence from family lineage in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    3. John Bongaarts & Ann K. Blanc & Katharine J. McCarthy, 2019. "The links between women’s employment and children at home: Variations in low- and middle-income countries by world region," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 73(2), pages 149-163, May.
    4. Chen, Jiwei & Guo, Jiangying, 2022. "The effect of female education on fertility: Evidence from China’s compulsory schooling reform," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    5. Francesca Modena & Concetta Rondinelli & Fabio Sabatini, 2014. "Economic Insecurity and Fertility Intentions: The Case of Italy," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(S1), pages 233-255, May.
    6. Mary C. Brinton & Xiana Bueno & Livia Oláh & Merete Hellum, 2018. "Postindustrial Fertility Ideals, Intentions, and Gender Inequality: A Comparative Qualitative Analysis," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 44(2), pages 281-309, June.
    7. Ruthbah, Ummul, 2020. "Does lower fertility empower women? Evidence from rural Bangladesh," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 36(C).
    8. Man-Yee Kan & Ekaterina Hertog & Kamila Kolpashnikova, 2019. "Housework share and fertility preference in four East Asian countries in 2006 and 2012," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 41(35), pages 1021-1046.
    9. Wei-hsin Yu & Janet Chen-Lan Kuo, 2017. "Another work-family interface: Work characteristics and family intentions in Japan," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 36(13), pages 391-426.
    10. Atalay, Kadir & Li, Ang & Whelan, Stephen, 2021. "Housing wealth, fertility intentions and fertility," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    11. Agnese Vitali & Francesco C. Billari & Alexia Prskawetz & Maria Rita Testa, 2009. "Preference Theory and Low Fertility: A Comparative Perspective," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 25(4), pages 413-438, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yu Yang & Rongxin He & Ning Zhang & Liming Li, 2023. "Second-Child Fertility Intentions among Urban Women in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-16, February.
    2. Fabio Sabatini & Francesco Sarracino, 2015. "Keeping up with the e-Joneses: Do online social networks raise social comparisons?," Papers 1507.08863, arXiv.org.
    3. Chhavi Tiwari & Srinivas Goli & Anu Rammohan, 2022. "Reproductive Burden and Its Impact on Female Labor Market Outcomes in India: Evidence from Longitudinal Analyses," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(6), pages 2493-2529, December.
    4. Fulda, Barbara, 2016. "Immer weniger Kinder? Soziale Milieus und regionale Geburtenraten in Deutschland," Schriften aus dem Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung Köln, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, volume 87, number 87.
    5. Ms Fozia & Durdana Qaiser Gillani & Asifa Iftikhar, 2022. "Do Employed Females Provide Better Care to Their Children? The Case of Education and Health Care in Pakistan," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 4(2), pages 134-141.
    6. Chen, Cheng & Zhao, Wangyang & Chou, Shin-Yi & Lien, Hsien-Ming, 2021. "The effect of family size on parents' labor supply and occupational prestige: Evidence from Taiwan and Mainland China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    7. Andrew E. Clark & Anthony Lepinteur, 2022. "A Natural Experiment on Job Insecurity and Fertility in France," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(2), pages 386-398, May.
    8. Filandri, Marianna & Pasqua, Silvia & Struffolino, Emanuela, 2020. "Being Working Poor or Feeling Working Poor? The Role of Work Intensity and Job Stability for Subjective Poverty," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 147(3), pages 781-803.
    9. Nicoletta Balbo & Francesco C. Billari & Melinda Mills, 2013. "Fertility in Advanced Societies: A Review of Research," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 29(1), pages 1-38, February.
    10. Albert López-Ibor, Rocío & Escot Mangas, Lorenzo & Fernández Cornejo, José Andrés, 2010. "La predisposición de las estudiantes universitarias a auto-limitarse profesionalmente en el futuro por razones de conciliación/The Predisposition of Feminine University Students to Professional Self-L," Estudios de Economia Aplicada, Estudios de Economia Aplicada, vol. 28, pages 203(32á)-20, Abril.
    11. Rosanna Salvia & Gianluca Egidi & Luca Salvati & Jesús Rodrigo-Comino & Giovanni Quaranta, 2020. "In-Between ‘Smart’ Urban Growth and ‘Sluggish’ Rural Development? Reframing Population Dynamics in Greece, 1940–2019," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-18, July.
    12. Anna Rybińska, 2021. "Trends in Intentions to Remain Childless in the United States," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 40(4), pages 661-672, August.
    13. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Smyth, Russell & Trinh, Trong-Anh & Yew, Siew Ling, 2022. "Local crime and fertility," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 312-331.
    14. Eric E. Sevareid & Katherine Graham & Karen Benjamin Guzzo & Wendy D. Manning & Susan L. Brown, 2023. "Have Teens’ Cohabitation, Marriage, and Childbearing Goals Changed Since the Great Recession?," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(6), pages 1-29, December.
    15. Daniele Vignli & Letizia Mencarini & Giammarco Alderotti, 2018. "Is the Impact of Employment Uncertainty on Fertility Intentions Channeled by Subjective Well-Being?," Working Papers 114, "Carlo F. Dondena" Centre for Research on Social Dynamics (DONDENA), Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi.
    16. Coppier, Raffaella & Sabatini, Fabio & Sodini, Mauro, 2021. "Social Capital, Human Capital, And Fertility," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(3), pages 632-650, April.
    17. Manuel Reverberi & Andrea Trapani, 2016. "The child care system in Emilia-Romagna," Center for the Analysis of Public Policies (CAPP) 0141, Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Dipartimento di Economia "Marco Biagi".
    18. Paula Gobbi, 2013. "A model of voluntary childlessness," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 26(3), pages 963-982, July.
    19. Kamila Kolpashnikova & Man-Yee Kan, 2020. "Unconditional Quantile Regression Approach: Effects of Education on Housework Time in the US and Japan," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-15, December.
    20. Luca Salvati, 2020. "Demographic Dynamics, Urban Cycles and Economic Downturns: A Long-term Investigation of a Metropolitan Region in Europe, 1956–2016," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 39(3), pages 549-575, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:21:p:14615-:d:965334. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.