Female fertility history and mid-late-life health: Findings from China |
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Authors: | Xiaomin Li Shuzhuo Li Marcus W. Feldman |
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Affiliation: | 1. Institute for Population and Development Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong University (China), Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, China;2. Morrison Institute for Population and Resource Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA |
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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. |
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Keywords: | ADL impairment early childbearing fertility history late childbearing parity self-rated health |
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