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Existing studies often separate individual predictors from macro conditions, but limited work explains how they interact through structure and agency. Using a life course perspective and life stories from 13 childless older men in northern rural China, the study traces how early-life geographic and educational exclusion, hukou and weak welfare in early adulthood, and midlife urban-rural dualism and norms shape marriage and childbearing prospects. It argues for reforms supporting key life transitions, rural welfare, employment, and reduced disparities.",{"@graph":69,"@context":126},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/factors-contributing-to-male-childlessness-from-a-social-structural-perspective/426794/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/factors-contributing-to-male-childlessness-from-a-social-structural-perspective/426794.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"awa","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-20","2026-09-29",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118,122],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What problem does the study address about male childlessness in rural China?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It focuses on the growing prevalence of male childlessness in late adulthood in rural China and the associated concerns for later-life care and welfare sustainability.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does the study investigate the causes of childlessness?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Guided by a life course perspective, it uses life stories from 13 childless older men to examine how timing, institutional constraints, and life-path interdependencies affect marriage and childbearing prospects.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Which structural factors are highlighted across different life stages?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Early-life disadvantages such as geographic constraints and education exclusion limit marriage opportunities; early adulthood hukou and weak rural welfare intensify economic hardship and caregiving burdens; midlife urban-rural dual structure and entrenched sociocultural norms further restrict marital prospects.",{"name":123,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":124},"What policy directions does the study recommend?",{"text":125,"@type":113},"It calls for policies that support individuals during key life transitions and advocate institutional reforms, including improved rural welfare, expanded employment opportunities, and reduced urban-rural disparities to enable more equitable family formation conditions.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":128,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":130,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":132,"site_id":62},426794,1791222114,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":135},{"doc_id":132,"user_id":136,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":137,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":138,"file_id":139,"file_url":140,"file_type":141,"file_size":142,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":8,"language":143,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":144,"faqs":145,"seo_title":146,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":147,"read_time":81},3985747858093,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 335  \nAbstract citation ID: igaf122.1130  \nFACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO MALE CHILDLESSNESS  \nFROM A SOCIAL STRUCTURAL PERSPECTIVE  \nWenqian Xu1, Chunyan Kong2, and Fang Zhao2, 1. Lund University, Sweden, 2. Fudan University, Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People’s Republic)  \nMale childlessness in late adulthood is increasingly prevalent in rural China, raising concerns about later-life care and welfare sustainability. While research has examined individual predictorsand macro-level conditions, little is known about how these factors interact within the broader structure-agency context. This study, guided by a life course perspective, explores the structural factors shaping childlessness among older men in a rural area of northern China. Drawing on the life stories of 13 childless older men, the study explores how timing, institutional constraints, and life pathway interdependencies affect marriage and childbearing prospects. Structural disadvantages in early life, such as geographic constraints and education exclusion, restricted marriage opportunities. In early adulthood, the hukou system and weak rural welfare reinforced economic hardship and caregiving burdens. By midlife, these disadvantages were compounded by the urban-rural dual structure and entrenched sociocultural norms, further limiting marital prospects. Findings highlight the critical role of place and time in perpetuating socioeconomic disadvantages, as geographic constraints intersect with broader structural factors to shape lifelong trajectories. Addressing childlessness requires policies that support individuals during key life transitions and advocate for institutional reforms, including improved rural welfare, expanded employment opportunities, and reduced urban-rural disparities, to foster equitable conditions for family formation.","cbCaidfbp4dF8B6s","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidfbp4dF8B6s","pdf",341697,"English","# Abstract\n## Background and research gap\n## Methods and data\n## Key structural mechanisms across life stages\n## Implications for policy","[{\"question\":\"What problem does the study address about male childlessness in rural China?\",\"answer\":\"It focuses on the growing prevalence of male childlessness in late adulthood in rural China and the associated concerns for later-life care and welfare sustainability.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the study investigate the causes of childlessness?\",\"answer\":\"Guided by a life course perspective, it uses life stories from 13 childless older men to examine how timing, institutional constraints, and life-path interdependencies affect marriage and childbearing prospects.\"},{\"question\":\"Which structural factors are highlighted across different life stages?\",\"answer\":\"Early-life disadvantages such as geographic constraints and education exclusion limit marriage opportunities; early adulthood hukou and weak rural welfare intensify economic hardship and caregiving burdens; midlife urban-rural dual structure and entrenched sociocultural norms further restrict marital prospects.\"},{\"question\":\"What policy directions does the study recommend?\",\"answer\":\"It calls for policies that support individuals during key life transitions and advocate institutional reforms, including improved rural welfare, expanded employment opportunities, and reduced urban-rural disparities to enable more equitable family formation conditions.\"}]","FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO MALE CHILDLESSNESS - FROM A SOCIAL STRUCTURAL PERSPECTIVE | PDF",1790641817]