The Effects of China’s One-Child Policy on Women’s Education

Women’s educational attainment has increased tremendously and even exceeded men’s all over the world in the late 20th century. China’s One-Child Policy had a beneficial effect on women’s education and explains about half of the increase in educational attainment for women born between 1960–1980, according to a review published in Contemporary Economic Policy.

In China, the One-Child Policy was the biggest social movement that fundamentally changed the lives and family structure of the entire generation born in the 1960s. Analyses in the review indicate that reductions in fertility expectations in China increased women’s educational attainment and helped to close the gender education gap.

“Women anticipated having fewer children, which may have delayed their entry into parenthood and even delayed the decision to get married, which allowed them to get more education,” said author Xuan Jiang, PhD, of The Ohio State University.

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Contemporary Economic Policy publishes scholarly economic research and analysis on issues of vital concern to business, government, and other decision makers. Leading western scholars, including three Nobel laureates, are among CEP’s authors. The objectives are to communicate results of high quality economic analysis to policymakers, focus high quality research and analysis on current policy issues of widespread concern, increase knowledge among economists of features of the economy key to understanding the impact of policy, and to advance methods of policy analysis. 

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