This study focuses on the relationship between contraceptive behavior, family size preferences, and perceptions of the one-child policy among young Chinese women in rural areas of Jilin Province. In 1985, about 85 percent of rural married women with one surviving child were practicing contraception, although most of them reported two as their ideal number of children. Most women with one surviving child, including those with one-child certificates, were practicing contraception in response to the government campaign, while more than half of women with two or more children were doing so voluntarily. Most of the women with one child were using the IUD, whereas more than half of women with two or more children were sterilized. Through multivariate analysis of contraceptive behavior and method choice, additional factors were found to be associated with the contraceptive behavior of rural Jilin women; achievement of their ideal family size was a significant factor in the voluntary practice of contraception as well as in contraceptive method choice. Implications of the results are discussed.
PIP: Data from the 1985 Survey of Rural Fertility and Living Standards were used to analyze the contraceptive behavior of 5399 married women aged 15-60 in rural Jilin Province, China. Jilin had a population of 22,980,000 in 1985, and a high socioeconomic level and educational status. The Survey contained a multiple choice question on why women practiced or did not use contraception. First, ideal family size was analyzed by woman's age, number of living children and contraception. 85% of married women with 1 living child were contracepting, although 2 was their ideal family size. 78% of women with 1 living child, including those on the One-Child Certificate, use contraception because of the government campaign, usually with the IUD; the majority of those with 2 children were contracepting voluntarily, usually by sterilization. 2 multivariate analyses were performed: an analysis of covariates of contraception in response to the government campaign, and of contraception for other reasons (voluntary); and another analysis of covariates of contraceptive method choice for women with 1 child and for women with 2 or more. When duration of marriage was controlled, for women with 1 child, ethnicity and having at least 1 son significantly affected reasons for contraception. For those with 2 children, the ideal family size also significantly affected the reason for contracepting, i.e., whether for government campaign reasons for voluntarily. Choice of the IUD was linked with having 1 son, contracepting because of the government campaign, and acceptance of the One-Child Certificate. Having had an abortion was associated with choosing the IUD. For those with 2 or more children, having achieved ideal family size was significant for choosing sterilization. Having taken a One-Child Certificate did not guarantee choice of sterilization. Thus women may be hoping that restrictions may be further eased, as they were in 1988 for rural families with 1 daughter, so they can have another child.