Influence of Parenting Costs on Second-Child Fertility Anxiety Among Adults of Childbearing Age in China: The Moderating Role of Gender

The present study investigated the moderating role of gender in the relationship between parenting costs and second-child fertility anxiety. This secondary data analysis relied on information from 1,834 respondents of childbearing age (20–45) from Jilin province in China who were selected through multilevel cluster sampling in 2016. The final sample size of this study was 542 adults who had only one child and were uncertain about whether to have a second child. The proposed hypothesis was examined by hierarchical multiple regression. The results showed that gender had no moderating effect in the relationship of direct parenting costs and second-child fertility anxiety; the association between direct parenting costs and second-child fertility anxiety was significant in both male and female groups. However, gender had a moderating role in the relationship between indirect parenting costs and second-child fertility anxiety. Indirect parenting costs related to occupation had a significant effect on second-child fertility anxiety among men, whereas indirect parenting costs involving entertainment time and space had a significant effect on second-child fertility anxiety among women.