Relative differences in parenting time and fertility intention: evidence from China Family Panel Studies

To address the persistent decline in birth rates, this study investigates how parenting time and its gender-based disparities affect fertility intentions in China. Using data from the 2020 China Family Panel Studies, we conducted an empirical analysis to examine the relationship between the differences in parenting time and fertility intentions from the perspective of gender differences, and identified the possible mechanisms. Our findings reveal: (1) longer parenting time reduces fertility intention; (2) larger disparities in parenting time between spouses significantly inhibit fertility intention, especially for women; (3) this effect is partially mediated through weakening the perceived importance of the family for both spouses, deteriorating their emotional well-being and weakening their motivation to achieve economic reciprocity through children; (4) heterogeneity analyses show that the inhibitory effect is strongest in western regions. These results are robust across model specifications, gender-based subsamples and interaction terms. The study offers empirical evidence to inform gender-equal family policies and parental leave reform in low-fertility contexts.