Exploring Significant Factors in Chinese Women’s Decision-Making about Birth Outside Marriage

Abstract

The thesis delves into the intricate and evolving perspectives of Chinese women’s decision-making about birth outside marriage. The emergence of a new family form, characterized by single mothers by choice and their donor-conceived children, has become a common phenomenon in many Western countries. The younger generation of Chinese women is gradually drawn to this new family form, and some pioneers have already accomplished it. However, social norms in China pose challenges to birth outside of marriage, let alone single women becoming mothers by donor insemination, which is contrary to current laws and regulations. This study meticulously collected data through qualitative, in-depth interviews. The researcher conducted extensive fieldwork in Chengdu, China, and interviewed 17 Chinese women from diverse backgrounds. Grounded theory, a rigorous and systematic approach, was used for data analysis. From this, 11 factors emerged as influential for women deciding whether to choose birth outside marriage. These factors, including operational concerns about ART, social stigma, donor-conceived children’s well-being, childrearing burden, fertility intention, motherhood penalty, maternity risk, biological clock, marriage perception, the influence of the original family, and affordable substitute, collectively shape women’s decisions. Among them, only operational concerns about ART, social stigma, and donor-conceived child well-being are directly related to their unmarried status. The author thus defines these three as “the extra price for choosing a nonconventional childbearing” in China. The research also found no evidence showing that “being single, legally not allowed to and socially frown on having babies” is more decisive than any other factors, such as “operational concerns about ART” and “child well-being” when women consider being solo mothers.