Female fertility history and mid-late-life health: Findings from China

ABSTRACT

China’s middle-aged and older women suffer from poorer health than men. Using national baseline data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a survey conducted from 2011 to 2012, this article applies logistic models to investigate the association between female fertility history (parity, early childbearing, late childbearing) and middle-aged and late-life health. We find that parity is related to the mid-late-life health of women. Women with four children or more are more likely to suffer from activities of daily living (ADL) impairment and poorer self-rated health than those with one to three children. Early childbearing is associated with ADL impairment; however, the correlation is mediated by socioeconomic status. Early childbearing is related to self-rated health in later life by an indirect-only mediation effect via educational attainment and personal income.

KEYWORDS:

• ADL impairment
• early childbearing
• fertility history
• late childbearing
• parity
• self-rated health

Funding

This work was supported by the HSSTP project of Shaanxi province (China) and the National Natural Science Fund of China (7157031601), and the Morrison Institute for Population and Research Studies at Stanford University.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the HSSTP project of Shaanxi province (China) and the National Natural Science Fund of China (7157031601), and the Morrison Institute for Population and Research Studies at Stanford University.