The research results of More Rights but Less Gains: Relaxed Birth Control Policy and the Loss for Women by Professor Lu Yuanping and Associate Professor Zhao Ying of IIDPF were published in the prestigious journal China & World Economy on 12 January 2023. The journal China & World Economy has been published.
Abstract:
In view of its aging population, China initiated in 2012 a relaxed birth control policy after a three-decades-long implementation of the restrictive one-child policy. This paper examines how China's relaxed birth control policy leads to gender inequality. It specifically focuses on migrant workers because they account for a significant portion of the working group. Using the National Migrant Population Dynamic Monitoring Survey from 2014 to 2016, we found that China's two-child pilot policy reduced female labor force participation by 1.4 percentage points. This negative effect was more pronounced for women with higher educational levels or working in the private sector because employers foresee greater risks of productivity decline. We demonstrated that the gender pay gap increased from RMB956 to RMB1,053 during this same period. Pinpointing these unintended consequences brought about by the relaxation of the one-child policy helps provide a more complete picture of inequality and make sense of persistent relative poverty in Chinese society. To counteract gender discrimination, females are advised to work outside their home jurisdictions and take advantage of positive peer effects.
Brief Bio：
Lu Yuanping is a professor at ZUEL's School of Public Finance and Taxation, a PhD supervisor, a young top talent of Hubei Province, a Wenlan Young Scholar, the Executive Dean of IIDPF and the Executive Director of IIDPF's Innovation and Talent Base. His research interests include income distribution, fiscal theory and policy, experimental economics, and the economics of happiness.
Zhao Ying is an associate professor and associate doctoral supervisor at ZUEL's School of Public Finance and Taxation, with research interests in public sector economics and development economics. Dr. Zhao was appointed to the Hubei Important Talent Project and the Wenlan Young Scholar, and was selected for the Xiangjiang Scholars Programme and the Hubei Postdoctoral Excellence Tracking Programme. Dr. Zhao has published as an independent or first author in journals such as the Economic Research Journal, China Industrial Economics and the Journal of Financial Research, and is currently chairing several NSFC general projects and youth grants. Dr. Zhao was awarded the first prize of the Hubei Excellent Research Achievement Award and the first prize of the 16th Wuhan Social Science Achievement.
Link: http://doi.org/10.1111/cwe.12454