Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Aug 23;14(8):e0221526.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221526. eCollection 2019.

Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to couples' fertility decision-making in Inner Mongolia, China

Xinhua Li  1   2 , Yancun Fan  1 , Sawitri Assanangkornchai  2 , Edward B McNeil  2
Affiliations

Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to couples' fertility decision-making in Inner Mongolia, China

Xinhua Li et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

China relaxed its family planning policy and adopted a universal two-child policy on January 1, 2016 to actively address the country's aging trend. However, the policy has failed to have any significant effect on the fertility rate of many provinces. In light of the country having the highest sex ratio at birth in the world and the huge burden of the aging population, improving the fertility rate is an urgent priority in China. This facility-based cross-sectional survey aimed to study determinants of fertility decision-making among couples based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. The study was conducted in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. A structured self-administered questionnaire was completed by 1,399 couples, consisting of wives aged 20-49 years and their husbands. Based on the structural equation modeling method of analysis, determinants of fertility decision-making were perceived behavior control (perceived importance of having a stable income and cost of raising a child), subjective norms (perceived social pressure about "sex preference of the newborn by themselves and their partner") and attitudes (only healthy parents can have a child). Other significant factors influencing fertility decision were ethnicity and education level, with ethnic minority couples having less perception of social norm towards fertility and those with higher education having higher perceived control toward having a (further) child. The study reveals the importance of the China's infrastructure and public facilities to support child-rearing to increase the fertility rate among couples of child-bearing age, which in turn will reduce the burden associated with an aging society.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Conceptual model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Final model of fertility intention based on Theory of Planned Behavior.
PC: Perceived Behavior Control; PC1: The couple is ready to sacrifice the time and freedom for the baby; PC2: A suitable babysitter is available when the couple works outside; PC3: A lot of money will be spent to raise a (another) child; PC4: The couple has sufficient materials for child rearing; PC5: The couple’s family members can help them take care of the baby; PC6: The couple has a stable income; SN: Social Norms; SN1: The family should have a boy (or girl); SN2: His/her partner prefers to have a boy (or girl); SN3: The relatives and friends around the couple have already had two children; AT: Attitudes; AT1: The couple enjoys having a big family; AT2: The couple enjoys the fun of raising a child; AT3: Only healthy parents can have a child; AT4: Having a child can maintain a good relationship between the couple; e in a circle denotes measurement error of that latent variable.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Bongaarts J. Fertility transitions in developing countries: Progress or stagnation? Studies in family planning. 2008;39(2):105–10. 10.1111/j.1728-4465.2008.00157.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Adsera A. Changing fertility rates in developed countries. The impact of labor market institutions. J Popul Econ. 2004;17(1):17–43. 10.1007/s00148-003-0166-x WOS:000188849000002. - DOI
    1. Henriksen E. A demographic explanation of US and Japanese current account behavior Unpublished manuscript, Carnegie Mellon University; 2002:1–30.
    1. Xue JL. The Disparities in transition of fertility and impact factors among Han and Mongolia minority group in China. Population Journal. 2015;37:11 10.16405/j.cnki.1004-129X.2015.04.003 - DOI
    1. Philipov D. Fertility intentions and outcomes: the role of policies to close the gap. European Journal of Population/Revue européenne de Démographie. 2009;25(4):355 10.1007/s10680-009-9202-1 - DOI

Publication types

Grants and funding

This work received the research fund from the Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Science of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, China Medical Board, and Prince of Songkla University to XL. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.