Fertility Differences between the Majority and Minority Nationality Groups in China

Abstract

There is an extensive sociological and demographic literature about why racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. have different levels of fertility, usually higher, than the majority white group. The four major hypotheses are the subcultural hypothesis, the social characteristics hypothesis, the minority group status hypothesis, and the economic hypothesis. In this paper we focus on fertility patterns of the majority Han and the larger minority groups in China and examine the degree to which the above hypotheses may be useful in articulating the reasons why the fertility of the Han majority differs from that of the minorities. We first present a brief historical review of the genesis and development of the majority and minority nationalities in China. We next present short vignettes of each of the eight minority nationalities we will be examining. We then review the Western literature on fertility differentials between majority and minority nationalities, and summarize the theoretical expectations behind the four prominent hypotheses to be tested. Finally, we present the results of the analysis, and draw out the implications of our work.

A nighttime light imagery estimation of ethnic disparity in economic well-being in mainland China and Taiwan (2001–2013)

“…According to Poston, Chang, and Dan (2006), Shu (1989), and Poston and Shu (1987), Manchu and Korean are among the most advanced of all the Chinese minorities in terms of education, occupation, and socioeconomic status, which is consistent with the results of the ranking of NLDI in this study. Goodman's (2004) analysis accords with our conclusions too.…”

“…This makes the nighttime light-based measurement of ethnic disparity less desirable and satisfactory. However, the two problems may not be very severe, as many studies report that minority ethnic groups usually stay in their traditional homelands due to attachment to native land and being unaware of the greater economic opportunities available with migration (Poston, Micklin, and Shu 1998;Yang 2007), and most of them tend to reside in border areas highly segregated residentially from the Han Chinese (Poston, Chang, and Dan 2006;Poston, Micklin, and Shu 1998). Even for those who migrate, they tend to prefer places within their traditional regions of residence; areas with similar languages, religions, and ethnic traditions (Yang 2007 To determine the reliability of the data, we conducted an accuracy assessment of the GREG data-set based on the following assumption: If the 1960s GREG data for ethnic population distribution is still accurate, meaning that each polygon in GREG data is homogeneous and just for that specific ethnic group, then for each administrative region such as a county, the estimated population for each ethnic group using GREG and LandScan (described below) within that administrative region should be consistent with the ethnic population census data within that administrative region.…”

A decade of life-course research on fertility of immigrants and their descendants in Europe

“…Although the minority-status argument has been mainly raised for women of higher socioeconomic status, it is possible to extend this concept to other women (and also men): In circumstances where subjective discrimination leads to a general feeling of uncertainty and frustration, fertility disruption may be the consequence, regardless of the relative socioeconomic position of a woman (or man). Although the influence of the membership in a minority group on fertility is negative in nature, resulting from discrimination and economic uncertainty, minority status may also increase fertility levels (Poston, Chang, and Dan 2006). Discrimination against minorities on the labour market may reduce their opportunities for social mobility and some women may decide to enter the so-called motherhood track, especially in countries where state policies promote women with children to stay at home.…”

Fertility Differentials among Religious Minorities: Cross‐national and Regional Evidence from India and Bangladesh

“…Further, the socio‐economic disadvantaged state of the minority group tends to have a positive effect on fertility (Kennedy, ; Iyer ; Johnson‐Hanks, ). Feelings of marginality or insecurity could also influence the reproductive behaviour of minorities (Poston, Chang and Dan, ). The desire for upward social mobility among educated members of minority community and the sense of marginality have a negative effect on fertility (Goldscheider and Uhlenberg, ; Lehrer ).…”