Gender and fertility strategy in a Yi community

Studies of Chinese ethnic minorities, especially of women’s experiences, are few and it would appear to be worth probing what is behind the “voluntary” nature of birth control. Demographic literature tends to emphasize macro policy-making and management of birth control, but the subjects (or objects depending on the perspective one holds) of birth control policies — the experiences of husbands and wives — are often ignored. This paper intends to explore reproductive dynamics in a Yi village at a particular point in time (two decades after the two-child policy) by demonstrating how people respond to and deal with birth control policies, and how micro-level fertility in individual households is affected.