Abstract
In the last two decades, China has observed one of the most dramatic demographic transitions worldwide. Numerous researchers have recognized that the family planning program, with contraceptive use as the key element, played an important role in China's fertility decline. The focus of my thesis research is on the most permanent form of contraception: female sterilization. The historical trend of China's family planning program and its impact on female sterilization are presented, and I also review research literature related to Chinese women's sterilization choices. In this thesis, Cox's proportional hazard models are applied to analyze the 1997 Sample Survey of Population and Reproductive Health in China. The sample falls into two sub samples: urban and rural women. A comparative analysis of the urban and rural women's sterilization is also discussed in detail. I examined the degree to which family planning policy, together with some personal characteristics, affect a Chinese woman's hazard of sterilization. The results of my analysis showed that the family planning policy had a significant impact on women's sterilization hazard through the following means: women's contraceptive knowledge, women's attitudes regarding female and male sterilization, the number of children ever born to a woman (CEB), women's decision power concerning contraceptive choice, and women's satisfaction regarding the family planning service. I also discuss my findings in light of recent developments of family planning policy in China. To cater to people's enhanced awareness of protecting their rights and interests, China's family planning policy makers have begun promoting client-oriented reproductive health services and information-based choices. Future research trends on sterilization and contraceptive use in China are also discussed.
Liu, Can (2002). The models of female sterilization in China, 1997: a hazard analysis. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2002 -THESIS -L584.