Work-related stress and reproductive health: mechanism of delayed childbearing among urban professional women

This study examines delayed childbearing, a growing reproductive health concern, among urban professional women in Hebei, China, where traditional family expectations intersect with intense workplace competition. It explores how women perceive childbearing under work pressure, how work-related stress shapes the postponement of births, and how support systems intervene in this process. This qualitative study, using a constructivist grounded theory approach, conducted in-depth interviews with 26 married professional women aged 28-40 working in enterprises, public institutions, and government agencies. Analysis identified four themes: workplace "ideal worker" norms, embodied work-related strain, insufficient multi-level support, and strategic postponement of childbearing. The study concludes that delayed childbearing among urban professional women is a rational response to overlapping pressures rather than weak fertility intentions, with potential consequences for reproductive health risks associated with advanced maternal age. It provides policy implications for building more fertility-friendly work environments and gender-equitable support systems and offers comparative insights into similar patterns of fertility postponement in other rapidly modernizing settings, including parts of Africa.