Objectives Under the universal two-child policy, this study investigates the differentiation of fertility attitudes among married reproductive-aged women in Shandong Province, and analyzes the key factors associated with traditional and emerging fertility attitudes. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among married reproductive-aged women aged 18–45 in Shandong Province. Univariate analysis and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the differentiation of fertility attitudes and their main correlated factors. Results A total of 1,782 valid questionnaires were collected. Logistic regression analysis showed that traditional fertility attitudes were positively associated with factors such as low educational attainment, having family health risks, family economic status, high fertility expectations from husbands, parents, parents-in-laws, society, and community support ( p 0.05). In contrast, emerging fertility attitudes showed a significant negative association with high older adult care and childcare expenditures, strong parental and societal expectations, and perceived inadequacy of policy reimbursement amounts and community support ( p 0.05). Conclusion Fertility attitudes among married reproductive-aged women in Shandong Province present a complex interplay with the coexistence of both traditional and emerging perspectives. Traditional fertility attitudes are primarily related to health risks, intergenerational and social expectations, whereas emerging fertility attitudes are associated with familial economic pressure, external societal expectations, and perceived inadequacy of policy support.
Zhou et al. (Wed,) studied this question.