The Effects of Child-Bearing Policies in Remarriages: Evidence from China

In this paper we document the fertility policies for remarried couples in the People's Republic of China, and investigate their effects on the women's first marriages. Our evidence suggests that the child-bearing policies in remarriages have a significant effect on the characteristics of first marriages, including the ages of first marriage for the women, age gap, age of first child birth, age lapsed between first marriage and first child birth, number of children, and the divorce rates. We also plan to investigate whether these results are consistent with a forward-looking marriage model.