TY  - JOUR
A1  - Nie, Wanli
T1  - The effect of spousal separation and reunification on fertility: Chinese internal and international migration
Y1  - 2020/09/15
JF  - Demographic Research
JO  - Demographic Research
SN  - 1435-9871
SP  - 851
EP  - 888
DO  - 10.4054/DemRes.2020.43.29
VL  - 43
IS  - 29
UR  - https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol43/29/
L1  - https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol43/29/43-29.pdf
L2  - https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol43/29/43-29.pdf
N2  - Background: In a modern society with massive long-distance migration due to rapid development of transportation infrastructure, spousal separation has a substantial and cumulative effect on marital fertility (Menken 1979) due to not only lower intercourse frequency, but also factors affecting fertility in both the destination and origin locations. 

Objective: This paper investigates the effect of spousal separation on marital fertility for Chinese internal migrants and international migrants to the US. 

Methods: Using data from the Chinese International Migration Project, I jointly model the first, second and third births, and spousal separation applying event-history techniques and controlling for unobserved heterogeneity. Time-varying information on both partners’ occupations is incorporated to capture the changes in their socioeconomic status. 

Results: The results show that the first two births are disrupted by spousal separation. Reunification does not lead to higher fertility but rather implies lower fertility. Moreover, there is a tendency for couples who are separated due to the migration of one partner to also have higher fertility levels. 

Conclusions: Concerns regarding the dramatic rise in migrant births after family reunification are not empirically grounded. Couple separation is related to a traditional division of labour. Furthermore, the correlation between migration and fertility mainly comes from the selectivity of household income. 

Contribution: This paper sheds light on the effects of migration-related changes in couples’ living arrangements on fertility, analysed by birth order in under-researched contexts: China-US migration and internal migration from Fujian province. Both migration types have dramatically increased in China in recent decades. 

ER  -