"Tell Quitters to Date?"... Chinese University Students Outraged by Dating Lecture Craze

Chinese Universities Launch Dating Courses to Encourage Marriage and Childbirth
'Universities Should Be at the Center of Dating Education' Paper Gains Attention
"Have No Jobs but Want Us to Have Children?" Flood of Criticism

Dating courses introduced by Chinese universities to encourage marriage and childbirth are being criticized as anachronistic. Critics argue that instead of addressing fundamental issues like youth unemployment, these courses aim to reshape students' thinking. On the 9th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, "Recently, several universities in China have launched dating education courses with the purpose of promoting marriage and increasing birth rates."

Earlier, a paper titled "Universities Should Play a Central Role in Dating and Marriage Education," reportedly written by a student from Zhongnan University in Hubei Province, gained attention and sparked a craze for dating courses at universities. The paper analyzed that 56.9% of survey respondents expressed no interest in dating, forecasting a decline in birth rates as young people are reluctant to date.

It also argued that the root cause is a lack of understanding in balancing academics and dating. About 82% of students surveyed said their universities do not offer courses related to dating, and approximately 66% indicated they would be interested if such programs were provided. Therefore, the paper asserted that universities have a responsibility to offer dating education.

For example, it suggested establishing dating courses as elective subjects at universities, utilizing a hybrid learning model combining online and offline methods, and that the government and universities should support the training of qualified instructors.

The paper became a hot topic online and partly influenced the introduction of courses such as "Marriage and Love," "Psychology of Love," and "Sociology of Love" at prestigious universities including Wuhan University, Xiamen University, and Tianjin University over the past few years.

However, Chinese netizens responded critically, saying things like "Solve the unemployment problem first," "Financial stability is needed before thinking about marriage and children," and "Are they telling people who can't even find jobs to get married and have kids?" Some commented, "This is the karma of the one-child policy era," adding, "There was a time when forced abortions were imposed if you had more children, and now the repercussions are significant."

In the first half of this year, the number of registered marriages in China was 3.43 million, down 498,000 (12.7%) from 3.928 million last year. Compared to 6.94 million in the first half of 2014, the number has decreased by more than half in ten years. Additionally, China's total fertility rate recorded 1.05 in 2022 and dropped to 1.0 last year. As a result, China lost its position as the world's most populous country to India last year.