By the end of 2022, China's total population is 1.41 billion, almost 18% of the world's population. Within a few decades, the country has undergone enormous changes that are affecting the demographic picture of the world. As the rate of population growth slowed down, China’s demographic policy has shifted from the initial control of population growth so as to ensure the harmonious development of population, resources and the environment, to encouraging and stimulating the birth rate due to its reduction and population decline in the last two years. Based on statistical analysis of the National Population Census in China for 1982, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020, the authors describe the transformation of the family and its reproductive function, as well as their possible consequences under the dynamics of demographic policy. The average size of the Chinese family households in 2020 was 2.62. This number has been decreased by 24% and 41% compared with 2000 and 1982 respectively. A reduction is observed in the structure of households in terms of size. In 2000, the three or four-person households usually accounted for a large proportion, but in 2020, the one or two-person households have become the mode.
The main trends associated with the transformation of the Chinese household are as follows: the increasing number of small households, the growth of singles and adults living alone. The emergence of such «single society» reduces younger generations’ desire of marriage or having children. Families are more children -centered, and due to the decreasing number of children, the fertility function has weakened, the quality of other functions has been improved such as the resources and chances of education and so forth. There’s also a change of women's status in households, the status has strengthened which led to the strengthening of the role and expansion of women's rights in making family fertility decisions.