Abstract:

Against the backdrop of negative population growth intertwined with hyper-ageing， China has introduced a series of childcare policies aimed at addressing public difficulties in childcare and promoting a moderate increase in fertility rates. However， during implementation， the well-intentioned design of these policies has， to some extent， produced unintended consequences. The underlying reasons warrant thorough investigation. Consequently， this paper employs grounded theory methodology to conduct a three-tier coding analysis of data extracted fromZhihu， Weibo， Rednote， and Tiktok platforms. Analyzing the current state of childcare policy implementation from both individual and institutional perspectives， it explores the underlying causes of the supply-demand dilemma within childcare services through the lens of policy execution theory. This reveals the micro-mechanisms behind the gap between policy objectives and practice， enabling childcare policies to achieve their intended outcomes. Findings indicate that the alienation of policy objectives， imbalanced resource allocation， and conflicting interests among implementing entities ultimately trap target groups in a triple bind： escalating childcare costs， spatial-temporal constraints， and social trust deficits. This triggers threefold resistance to childcare services， resulting in significant divergence between policy aims and practical outcomes. Governments must address this supply-demand impasse by reconfiguring policy objectives， restructuring resource allocation， and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Key words: childcare services, fertility support, policy objective, policy implementation, grounded theory