May 29th 2023: China’s new policy is highly intriguing to the world. What were China’s prior programmes on childbirth? Read on to find out…
The latest step taken by China to increase the declining birth rate in the nation is the creation of pilot programmes in more than 20 locations to promote a "new-era" marriage and birthing culture.
The initiatives to encourage women to marry and have children will be launched by China's Family Planning Association, a national organisation that carries out the government's population and fertility policies, according to the state-backed Global Times on Monday.
The main goals of the programmes, according to the Times, pertain to encouraging marriage, having children at the right age, encouraging parents to share child-rearing duties, reducing excessive "wedding costs," and other archaic rituals.
The pilot includes Handan in China's Hebei region as well as the industrial centre of Guangzhou. Last year, the group began initiatives in 20 locations, including Beijing.
Demographer He Yafu said that the society has to educate young people more about the idea of marriage and having children.
The efforts are part of a flurry of initiatives that Chinese provinces are launching to encourage individuals to start families, including tax breaks, housing aid, and free or heavily discounted third-child schooling.
From 1980 until 2015, China had a strict one-child policy, which was the cause of many of its demographic problems and helped India overtake China as the world's most populated country. Since then, the cap has been increased to three kids.
Political advisers to the government said in March that single and unmarried women should have access to egg freezing and IVF treatment, among other services, to increase the nation's reproductive rate. They were worried about China's rapid ageing and first population decline in 60 years.
Due to the cost of child care and having to interrupt their employment, many women have decided against having more children or any at all, with gender discrimination being a significant barrier.