关键词: 已婚未育, 延迟生育, 生育意愿

Abstract: Based on data from a specialized survey in China, this study examines the factors affecting fertility intentions among married couples without children. The factors mainly involve personal preferences, economic constraints, care burdens, and pregnancy preparation. “Being currently young and unwilling to have children” is the primary reason for being childless, though its impact fluctuates and gradually decreases with age. These young couples view delayed childbirth as a temporary choice, exhibiting clear compensatory fertility intentions in later reproductive stages rather than being lifelong childless. For those beyond the ideal childbearing age who remain childless, “high work pressure” becomes the dominant barrier. At lower economic level, improved economic conditions can effectively enhance individual fertility intentions. However, after income surpasses a certain threshold, non-economic interventions are required to activate latent fertility intentions. Consequently, targeted fertility promotion policies should be formulated to strengthen the guidance on the reproductive values among young married couples without children, enabling the translation of compensatory childbearing intentions among those who have delayed childbirth into actual reproductive behavior.

Keywords: Married and Childless, Delayed Childbirth, Fertility Intentions