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Abstract Since the implementation of the two‐child policy in China in 2016, it is unclear how professional women''s labor force outcomes and family commitments have changed. Using interviews with 26 professional women with two children in Shanghai, we examined their work–life transitions and labor market outcomes. We found that the overarching constraints the interviewees faced included a lack of institutional childcare support, low paternal participation and increased physical and cognitive childcare labor. The women also experienced different constraining and enabling factors, leading to four types of labor market outcomes: enhancement, rebound, interruption and stagnation. Most of the interviewees who experienced career upward mobility after giving birth to a second child were urban singleton daughters who received tremendous parental support. Some participants experienced career interruption due to a lack of social support. The state should ensure family‐friendly work environments and promote paternal participation to reduce women''s work–life conflict and address gender inequality.
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