Objective  To explore second fertility intention and its influencing factors among Chinese women aged 35 – 50 years under the universal two-child policy.

  Methods  We extracted the data on 1 674 women aged 35 – 50 years in 28 provinces/municipalities/autonomous regions across China from the database of Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) conducted in 2015. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and binary logistic regression analysis were used in data analyses.

  Results  Of the women surveyed, 78.43% reported the willingness to have a second child. The results of logistic regression analysis indicated that education, perceived life happiness, number of real properties, number of sons, number of minor children and marital status were significant influencing factors for second fertility intention (all P < 0.05); the women with the education of junior high school (odds ratio OR = 0.392), senior high school/technical secondary school (OR = 0.385), college (OR = 0.236), and undergraduate (OR = 0.301) and the women widowed (OR = 0.097) were less likely to have second fertility intention; while the women with perceived happy life (OR = 3.741), remarried with a spouse (OR = 3.041), having real estate properties (OR = 1.547), having boys (OR = 1.700), and having minor children (OR = 1.465) were more likely to have second fertility intention.

  Conclusion  The proportion of having second fertility intention was relatively high and the intention was influenced by education, perceived life happiness, economic condition, fertility status and marital status among 35 – 50 years old Chinese women in 2015.