Reimagining maternity: a multimodal analysis on the identity construction amongst Chinese “Married, child-free” women in Xiaohongshu

This study delves into the distinctive narrative of “Married, Child-Free” within China’s social media context, specifically analyzing user-generated posts on Xiaohongshu, a popular platform among young Chinese females. Through Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA), this research uncovers thematic elements of the “Married, Child-Free” discourse, their encapsulation via multi-modal semiotic resources, and their interplay with pervasive sociocultural and gender ideologies. The emergence of the “Married, Child-Free” narrative stands as a crucial paradigm shift in virtual feminist interactions, craftily maneuvering within accepted marital norms while contesting the inevitability of motherhood. This narrative is embedded in consumerism and neoliberal principles of self-governance and individualism, symbolizing a movement away from overt resistance to an innovative negotiation of societal norms. The “Married, Child-Free” discourse offers potent perspectives on maternal consciousness, presenting motherhood as a choice rather than a societal decree. The study’s exploration of such discourse contributes to dialogues around women’s autonomy, gender dynamics and the re-imagination of societal norms, ultimately informing paths towards gender parity and societal progress in contemporary China.