Abstract: As global fertility rates continue to decline and population aging accelerates, many countries, including China, have introduced pro-natalist policies aimed at encouraging higher birth rates. Childbearing, however, significantly affects women's labor allocation between family responsibilities and professional development, exacerbating gender disparities in the labor market. This study focuses on the academic sector, utilizing data from the Social Science Research Network (SSRN), an open-access platform for rapid publication of preprints. Drawing from a panel dataset covering 14 periods from 2009 to 2022, the study includes 888 female and 2,296 male researchers. Using China’s universal two-child policy as a quasi-natural experiment, we apply difference-in-differences (DID) and difference-in-differences-in-difference (DDD) methodologies to evaluate the policy’s gender-differentiated effects on research productivity among male and female researchers. The findings reveal that the two-child policy exacerbated gender inequality within academia, particularly in terms of research productivity. A heterogeneity analysis further elucidates how the policy's impact varied across different groups of researchers. First, in economically underdeveloped regions, female researchers experienced a more pronounced decline in academic productivity compared to their male counterparts. This effect can be attributed to the dual pressures of traditional cultural expectations and resource scarcity. Women in these regions often face greater constraints, with limited access to both academic resources and support systems, leading to a more significant negative impact on their professional output. Second, researchers without international collaboration were more acutely affected by the policy’s gender-differentiated impacts. In contrast, international collaboration typically brings exposure to diverse cultural perspectives that promote a more inclusive attitude toward work-life balance and childbearing. Moreover, those engaged in international collaborations benefit from richer academic resources and a more favorable publication environment, which can mitigate some of the challenges posed by family responsibilities. Conversely, researchers without international ties face additional challenges due to limited resources and a narrower professional network, further amplifying the negative effects of the two-child policy. Third, compared to researchers at elite universities, female scholars at non-elite institutions were more vulnerable to the policy's negative effects. The resource disadvantages faced by these women made them more sensitive to policy changes, presenting significant barriers to their career development. These women are more likely to be influenced by traditional gender norms, and the added pressure of family responsibilities and societal expectations often leads them to prioritize childbearing decisions, which in turn results in less time and energy for academic competition and career advancement. This exacerbates the productivity gap between male and female researchers in such institutions. The results from the difference-in-differences-in-difference (DDD) model show that the academic environment had a stronger mitigating effect on female researchers compared to male researchers, highlighting the importance of institutional support in addressing gender disparities. Supplementary analyses further demonstrate that the gender gap in research productivity was affected across both the quantity and quality dimensions of academic output. Robustness checks, including continuous treatment analysis of the policy intervention, support these findings. This study provides valuable data and insights for policymakers, offering evidence-based recommendations for future fertility policies and talent management strategies within higher education. By promoting the positive impacts of fertility policies and enhancing overall research productivity, this study contributes to the advancement of gender equality in academia.

摘要： 随着全球生育率下降和人口老龄化的趋势，包括中国在内的各国提出鼓励生育政策。而生育会影响女性在家庭和职业发展中的劳动分配，加剧劳动力市场上的性别差距。本文以学术界为研究场景，基于发布快速且获取开放的预印本数据库-社会科学研究网（SSRN）平台，以中国全面两孩政策为一项准自然实验，采用双重/三重差分法，评估全面二孩政策对女性与男性科研人员科研生产力的性别差异效应。研究发现，全面两孩政策加剧了学术界性别不平等。异质性分析表明，全面二孩政策对经济欠发达地区、无国际合作情况和普通高校的科研人员性别差异影响更大。补充性分析显示学术生产力性别差异在研究数量和研究质量两个维度上均受到全面两孩政策冲击，政策干预的连续型处理分析也提供了稳健性证据。本文的研究能够为政府未来生育政策制定与高等教育机构人才管理策略提供数据支撑和政策启示，推动生育政策的积极影响，提升整体科研生产力，促进性别平等的发展。