Women in rural China often face traditional expectations: marrying young, living with their in-laws, having children and taking on childcare responsibilities. However, an increasing number of these women move to major cities for work or education, where their views on marriage and childbearing shift, potentially leading to significant demographic changes.

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Willy Sier investigates the experiences of the first generation of academically educated Chinese women who were born in the countryside. She explores how these women navigate, challenge, and transform traditional practices and ideas surrounding marriage and childbearing. Her work also examines the link between these changing perspectives and China’s birth rate, which is rapidly declining despite government campaigns and incentives. Additionally, she analyses how reproductive technologies such as IVF and egg freezing are used by various stakeholders to prevent, induce, or postpone pregnancies.