The childcare gap in China: examining policy evolution and mothers’ lived experiences

Amid China’s demographic crisis, the government has bolstered support for childcare for children under age three. Nevertheless, families continue to confront a childcare gap of approximately 2.5 years. To elucidate the disconnect between state aspirations and caregiving realities, this article integrates a review of policy evolution with an analysis of mothers’ lived experiences. Employing a familialism perspective, it traces the policy shift from de-familialism to implicit familialism and, finally, towards optional familialism. Drawing on interviews with 22 mothers in Guangzhou, the article reveals that while mothers possess diverse life-mix preferences, their choices are constrained by three key challenges: relational constraints stemming from weak state support and fragile intergenerational support; life-mix material gaps involving financial dependence or career sacrifice; and user deficits driven by the high cost of and low trust in marketised care. The article concludes by advocating for protected autonomy in the life mix and calling for policy support for both adult-worker and adult-carer models.