A Study On The Influence Of Inclusive Childcare Services On The Fertility Intention Of Urban Residents

Population and fertility issues have a bearing on the national economy,the people’s livelihood and the country’s long-term development.In recent years,China’s birth population has continued to decline,and the total population fertility rate has been at an ultra-low level,while low fertility willingness is an important reason for the sharp decline in fertility rate.Family fertility behavior is affected by many factors,among which the care of infants aged 0 to 3 is the key problem,“no care” “access to the nursery is difficult and expensive” are the main difficulties families face.Therefore,comprehensively promoting the development of inclusive childcare services has gradually become an important measure to cope with the difficulties of family care,guarantee the “child-rearing” of infants from 0 to 3 years old,and reduce the cost of family childbirth,upbringing and education.In view of this,this paper divides the different dimensions of inclusive childcare services to further study its effect on the fertility intention of urban residents.First of all,this paper sorts out and summarizes relevant researches on childcare services and fertility intention at home and abroad.Based on the new public service theory,welfare pluralism and fertility intention decision-making theory,the impact mechanism of inclusive childcare services on fertility intention is analyzed.Secondly,568 valid samples were obtained from 12 urban areas in four cities of Fujian Province through questionnaire survey to summarize the fertility intention of urban residents and the supply and demand of inclusive childcare services.Finally,Poisson regression model is used to empirically analyze the influence of 7 dimensions on the fertility intention of urban residents,namely the total supply of inclusive childcare services,inclusive public childcare institutions,inclusive private childcare institutions,community childcare,family childcare,kindergarten childcare and welfare childcare.The findings are as follows:(1)urban residents’ fertility intention is low,the stimulus effect of the three-child policy is not good,and the improvement of the inclusive childcare services system can enhance the fertility intention.(2)The larger the supply of inclusive childcare services and the more diversified the supply modes,the stronger the promoting effect on the fertility intention of urban residents,and among different supply modes,kindergarten childcare,community childcare and family childcare have stronger promoting effect.(3)The inclusive childcare services can significantly enhance the fertility intention of women,dual-income families and middle and low-income families,and the promotion effect on the fertility intention of the second child is significantly higher than that of the third child.(4)The contradiction between supply and demand of inclusive childcare services is prominent,and there are problems such as shortage of high-quality childcare resources,imbalance of supply and demand structure and mismatch between supply and demand,which makes it difficult to meet the childcare needs of the majority of infant families and restricts people’s reproductive behavior.Based on the research conclusions,the paper puts forward the policy thinking of strengthening the construction of the inclusive childcare service system to help the long-term balanced development of population.Firstly,clarify the inclusive nature of childcare services to ensure the basic childcare needs of people’s livelihood.Secondly,support the development of inclusive childcare projects and enhance the supply efficiency of childcare services.Thirdly,encourage social forces to participate in the construction of inclusive and diversified supply system.Fourthly,improve the policy of inclusive childcare services and promote the comprehensive optimization of the childbearing environment.