Between Workplace and Family: Chinese Women’s Experiences under “Supportive” Family Policies
(2026) COSM40 20261Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
- Abstract
- In recent years, against the backdrop of declining fertility rates, China has shifted toward family policies that encourage childbirth. However, this family policies does not significantly reverse the trend of low birth rates.
The thesis drew on 13 semi-structured interviews with married working women in China and, from the perspective of women’s lived experiences, explored the operational logic of “support” family policies in real life and their unintended consequences. The research adopted the social reproduction theory, Foucault’s biopolitics and governmentality as its analytical framework, and focused on examining the relationships among state population governance, market mechanisms, and patriarchy.
The research found that... (More) - In recent years, against the backdrop of declining fertility rates, China has shifted toward family policies that encourage childbirth. However, this family policies does not significantly reverse the trend of low birth rates.
The thesis drew on 13 semi-structured interviews with married working women in China and, from the perspective of women’s lived experiences, explored the operational logic of “support” family policies in real life and their unintended consequences. The research adopted the social reproduction theory, Foucault’s biopolitics and governmentality as its analytical framework, and focused on examining the relationships among state population governance, market mechanisms, and patriarchy.
The research found that “support” family policies exhibit a dual effect in practice. On the one hand, the policies reduce the cost of childbirth; on the other hand, its implementation, shaped by capital logic and patriarchy, reinforces the social positioning of women as the “primary caregivers”.
This thesis proposed a “state - capital - patriarchy” tripartite analytical framework, revealing that family policies are not neutral but are reshaped through their interaction with market logic and patriarchal culture, ultimately producing unintended consequences for women and undermining its original pronatalist goals. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9243468
- author
- Wang, Xinyue
- supervisor
-
- Lisa Eklund LU
- organization
- course
- COSM40 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Family policies, China, Gender inequality, Social reproduction, Governmentality, Biopolitics, Working women, Care labor
- language
- English
- id
- 9243468
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-24 11:27:50
- date last changed
- 2026-06-24 11:27:50
@misc{9243468,
abstract = {{In recent years, against the backdrop of declining fertility rates, China has shifted toward family policies that encourage childbirth. However, this family policies does not significantly reverse the trend of low birth rates.
The thesis drew on 13 semi-structured interviews with married working women in China and, from the perspective of women’s lived experiences, explored the operational logic of “support” family policies in real life and their unintended consequences. The research adopted the social reproduction theory, Foucault’s biopolitics and governmentality as its analytical framework, and focused on examining the relationships among state population governance, market mechanisms, and patriarchy.
The research found that “support” family policies exhibit a dual effect in practice. On the one hand, the policies reduce the cost of childbirth; on the other hand, its implementation, shaped by capital logic and patriarchy, reinforces the social positioning of women as the “primary caregivers”.
This thesis proposed a “state - capital - patriarchy” tripartite analytical framework, revealing that family policies are not neutral but are reshaped through their interaction with market logic and patriarchal culture, ultimately producing unintended consequences for women and undermining its original pronatalist goals.}},
author = {{Wang, Xinyue}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Between Workplace and Family: Chinese Women’s Experiences under “Supportive” Family Policies}},
year = {{2026}},
}