Abstract
BACKGROUND: China's 2021 three-child policy aims to counter population aging and low fertility rates. Chongqing, being the largest economy and the most densely populated city in Southwest China, lacks a survey on the willingness among childbearing-age women to have a third child. This study is dedicated to understanding the willingness of childbearing-age women in Chongqing to have a third child under the new fertility policy and analyzing its determinants to provide a theoretical reference for the change in fertility situation and policy implementation in Chongqing. METHODS: Convenience sampling selected 652 childbearing-age women recruited in the Women and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from May to August 2024. Based on descriptive analysis and single-factor analyses, a multinomial logistic regression model was used to analyze the determinants of willingness to have a third child. RESULTS: The willingness to have a third child among childbearing-age women in Chongqing was only 3.2%. The ideal number of children, the number of existing children, and household registration were the main factors influencing the willingness to have a third child among childbearing-age women in Chongqing City. Economic factors and child-rearing costs were especially critical. CONCLUSION: The willingness to have a third child among childbearing-age women in Chongqing City is low overall, and the effect of the three-child policy is limited. It needs to be continuously improved at the government, societal, family, and individual levels to enhance the willingness to have a third child among childbearing-age women in Chongqing.