China has recently implemented strategies of actively addressing population ageing and healthy China. In this context, understanding the health disparities among mid-aged and older adults from the life course perspective improves lifelong health service policies. Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study（CHARLS）and sequence analysis, this study constructs parity-employment trajectories. Seven trajectories are identified for both men and women, as well as a male-specific trajectory of remaining unmarried and childless while working, and a female-specific trajectory of giving birth to one child and leaving the workforce early. Among younger birth cohorts, more individuals have only one or two children, while fewer have three or more children. Moreover, a higher proportion of women leaving the workforce early is found among younger cohorts. Further analysis shows that an increase in the number of births has a negative effect on the health of mid-aged and older women while leaving the workforce early is detrimental to the health of both men and women.

Using data from China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey conducted in 2016, this study examines the influence of children's gender and living arrangements on Chinese older adults' friend network support under the framework of gendered double embeddedness. The results show that having no son negatively affects older men's, but not older women's, friend network support. Comparing to living with a partner only, co-residing with partner and son(s) is positively associated with friend network support for older men. The impacts of living arrangements vary across urban/rural areas and different regions. This study contributes to the literature on the relationship between family structure, living arrangements, and older adults' social support, and helps us recognize the most socially isolated older adults who might need more support.

China is experiencing rapid population ageing and witnesses a wide spread of information technology. The rise of novel internet technologies may increasingly influence older adults' daily life. Using data from a survey on midage and older adults' short video application use conducted in 2021, this study investigates the relationships between short video app usage and midage and older adults' social networks, commutation with family members and friends, social inclusion and mental health. Results show that the moderate use of short video app increases midage and older adults' communication with families and friends, expands their social networks, and promotes their social inclusion. We should also acknowledge that older people face many problems and risks in the digital era. Findings suggest that collective efforts should be made by government, corporations, local communities as well as families to mitigate agerelated digital divide.

Previous Chinese literature on women’s hazards of giving births focused on the impacts of policies or marital and childbearing histories. Under low fertility regime, gender and intergenerational relations rather than policy interventions exert more influence on Chinese women’s childbearing behaviors. Under the framework of New Home Economics and gender equity theory, and gender and development approach regarding fertility, this study discusses about how Chinese women’s economic activities and changes in gender relations might affect women’s hazards of entering parenthood. Capitalizing on data from a longitudinal survey, this article uses event history analysis to test how housework division and wives’ economic activities influence the hazards of giving first births. The results suggest that women earning higher income tend to have lower hazards of giving first births. Coresiding with women’s mothers-in-law increases the hazards of entering parenthood. Also, husbands’ greater involvement in housework is related to higher hazards of giving first births, and this relationship is stronger in households that can hardly get help from womens mothers-in-law.

Using data from the 2016 fertility survey conducted in 12 cities of 6 provinces in mainland China,this study discusses the intergenerational effects on women’s plan for a second child in the era of universal two-child policy.We only focus on the main targeted group of this policy change——married women who are between age 20 and 44 and have only one child in urban China,contributing to the discussions regarding future fertility trend.Overall,the results suggest that parental childcare supports and fertility preferences significantly affect women’s birth plan.Specifically,the probability of having a second child plan is higher if parents can provide childcare assistance,prefer to have two or more grandchildren or have sex preference.Also,family income is positively associated with women’s plan to have a second child and moderates parental effects.The influence of parental sex preference on women’s second child plan is stronger in families with higher income.

Under the two-child policy，Chinese families are suffering from increasing burden of child-rearing，most of which falls on women．In this study，we emphasize that the public policies should help achieve gender equity by comparing the impacts of different institutions and polices in developed countries on population change．Though a few policies on maternal leaves in China have gender perspective，they have limited effects on alleviating family members’family-work conflicts．We suggest that the gender equity should be promoted in various public policies，including those concerning labor force participation，education of young children，and Old-age support．

Recent studeis on the fertility level in China are of controversy as various mehods and data sources have led to inconsistent results. This paper applies Preston and Coale’s (1982) variable-r method to assess the fertility level in China between 2000 and 2010. This method has been applied in various kinds of research and proved efficacious. By adopting relative age distribution data from China’s 2000 and 2010 censuses as well as fertility pattern from annual sampling surveys published by National Bureau of Statistics of China, the variable-r method under different scenarios of completeness of coverage suggests that Chinese fertility during 2000 and 2010 is around 1.60. This paper also emphasizes the imporantce of examing the underlying assumptions of this method before applying it in emprical research.

Utilizing data collected in the survey of China’s Family Happiness Development Index by Renmin University of China and China Population Welfare Foundation，this article explores the factors affecting the happiness of China’s families. There are four dimensions of the factors affecting family happiness:
income and housing estate are the most important factors in economic dimension; physical and mental health is the foundation of a happy family; higher education，better relationship and more leisure will increase the happiness level; better social security and social network will secure the family happiness. Differing from the existing Happiness Indexes which evaluate happiness from individual level or regional level，this article focuses on‘family’as the study object to construct the‘Family Happiness Index’to evaluate the capability of becoming happier instead of assessing the status of happiness. Based on the four dimensions，including economics，health，civilization and society，this index consists of 35 indicators with a combination of subjective and objective factors.

China ’s recent fertility  level  is a long  standing puzzle． Scholars have  started to  question  the accuracy  of  official fertlity  data and have heated discussions on the fertility  rate  since  1990 ． Deficiencies in the 2000  census data made the fertility  issue  more  complicated． As the  data  of  the 20 10  census  have  been published ，it  is of  great  importance to evaluate the latest data to estimate the fertility level since 2000 ． This paper  examines ，evaluates and compares the 2000  and 20 10  censuses  data ，latest  data  from  education  and public  security ，and  reestimates  China ’s  fertility  level  since 2000 ． Total  fertility  rates  have  stood  at  more than  1． 6  since 2000  in  China．