Demographic changes in China are characterised by the dual challenges of fertility decline and population ageing. Bringing together these two trends, this talk examines the old-age security motive for fertility in contemporary China. The long-standing norm of yang’er fang lao (养儿防老) has traditionally encouraged individuals to have children, particularly sons, to secure their old age. With China’s socialist reform and post-socialist transitions, however, do people’s concerns about old-age security still motivate them to have children and fuel a preference for sons today? How does this motive relate to China’s latest three-child policy and its efforts at establishing an old-age welfare system? Drawing on large-scale analysis of nationally representative data spanning 2010–2023, Prof. Hu demonstrates how the future of fertility in China hangs in a delicate balance between the resilience of traditional family values, the individualisation of old-age care, and the country’s welfare reform.

Yang Hu is Associate Professor in Sociology at UCL Social Research Institute, University College London, where he also directs the MSc/MA programmes in Sociology. Yang is a member of the 2029 Research Excellence Framework (REF) Sub-Panel for Sociology. He is Co-director of the Work and Family Researchers Network (WFRN) Early Career Fellowship Programme. Yang’s research examines family and work changes and inequalities in a global context. His recent work has been published in journals such as Nature Human Behaviour, Gender & Society, European Sociological Review, Journal of Marriage and Family, and Human Relations.