Scottish Centre for China Research

Abstract: China’s reproductive policies have evolved from strict birth control under the One-Child Policy to the more flexible Three-Child Policy, yet women’s abortion autonomy remains limited due to state intervention. While policies now encourage childbirth, economic burdens, workplace discrimination, and cultural pressures discourage women from having more children. Recent government initiatives, such as the 2021-2030 Women’s Development Outline, aim to reduce non-medically necessary abortions, raising concerns about further restrictions on reproductive rights. To prioritize women’s rights, economic support, and access to healthcare over population control, we should return women’s voices to consider their own needs and reproductive autonomy.

 

Short Bio: Huizi Xi is a fourth-year PhD student researching the abortion experiences of married women in China. Her work engages with feminist theory, motherhood studies, embodied experiences, reproductive policies, and Confucian patriarchal structures. Her fieldwork is based in Hainan, a unique region where inland migration, ethnic minority traditions, and Confucian cultural influences intersect. Through an interdisciplinary approach, Huizi explores how sociocultural and political factors shape women's reproductive choices and lived experiences in contemporary China