Trends in women’s education and fertility in Japan and China
A comparative analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13059638 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jiajie Zhang (0000-0003-3928-8171, Tokyo University of Information Sciences, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Chinese Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2198-2635 • E-ISSN: 2198-2635 |
| Publisher | Springer Nature (PUBLISHER • SG) |
| DOI | 10.1186/s40711-025-00236-0 |
| OpenAlex | W4411792699 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 44 |
East Asian countries have undergone significant demographic shifts characterized by declining fertility rates and the expansion of higher education opportunities for women. Adopting a comparative perspective, this study examines cohort-based changes in the relationship between women’s educational attainment and fertility behaviors in China and Japan via discrete-time event history models and difference-in-differences analysis. The results reveal divergent trends: Japan shows a weakening negative association between higher education and fertility over time, whereas China demonstrates a persistent trend influenced by historical population control policies. These findings underscore the crucial roles played by sociocultural contexts and policy environments in shaping women’s fertility behaviors. Although China can draw lessons from Japan, the unique features of the Chinese socioeconomic landscape call for more targeted policies to address low fertility. This study further illustrates that ultralow fertility can emerge even in societies where traditional family values remain strong, contributing to broader discussions on the second demographic transition in East Asia
China · Fertility · Political science · Sociology · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender Studies · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving
Women’s Education, Autonomy, and Reproductive Behaviour
Event History and Survival Analysis
Education and Fertility
The Impact of Education on Fertility and Child Mortality
Motherhood and market work decisions in institutional context
Japan
Educational Expansion and Inequality of Access to University
Low Fertility and Population Aging in Japan and Eastern Asia
The Effect of Female Education on Fertility and Infant Health
The sampling design of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS)
Why do citizens prefer high-skilled immigrants to low-skilled immigrants? Identifying causal mechanisms of immigration preferences with a survey experiment
China’s far below replacement fertility and its long-term impact
The Care Economy in Post-Reform China
How family background shapes the relationship between human capital and fertility
Unequal Care, Unequal Work
The Positive Effect of Women’s Education on Fertility in Low-Fertility China
Changes in the Determinants of Marriage Entry in Post-Reform Urban China
Women's Education and Fertility
Is Education Always Reducing Fertility? Evidence from Compulsory Schooling Reforms
Changing Relationships between Education and Fertility
Women's Employment and Child Care Choices in Urban China during the Economic Transition
Educational composition and parity contribution to completed cohort fertility change in low-fertility settings
Population, Policy, and Politics
Forty Years of Family Change in Japan
Cohort fertility patterns in the Nordic countries
China's Great Migration and the Prospects of a More Integrated Society
Marriage and Family in East Asia
Revisiting the Educational Gradient in Marriage in Japan
Work, Family, and Gendered Happiness Among Married People in Urban China
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |