House price, fertility rates and reproductive intentions

摘要

This paper uses national representative data collected through population census and household surveys to estimate the effect of house price on women's childbearing behaviors and intentions. It shows that higher house price significantly lowers women's reproductive probability and that women aged 30 and under, who have been married for 3-5 years, and those with no children are more sensitive to such effect. A significantly negative fertility response to house price is observed among renter families and those with self-built houses, but the response is insignificant for home owning families. Subsample analysis by child gender reveals that house price mainly affects the probability of male births. Furthermore, women in regions with higher house prices are more willing to have daughters whereas those owning more houses tend to have sons.