Encouraging Active Childbirth Among Young Married Women
Civil Servants Call to Ask About Pregnancy Plans and Promise Financial Support
China, facing a severe low birthrate crisis, is reportedly conducting a nationwide campaign to encourage childbirth in an effort to address the issue.
According to major foreign media on the 29th, local governments in China are actively promoting childbirth among married women in their 20s and 30s under pressure from the central government. Frontline officials are directly calling young married women to inquire about their pregnancy plans and even recommend prenatal checkups.
In some regions, incentives are promised for giving birth to a second child to encourage childbirth. A resident of Zhejiang Province stated, "An official told me that if you have a second child, you can receive a subsidy of up to 100,000 yuan (about 20 million won)."
The National Health Commission of China has urged universities to establish "Marriage and Love Education Courses." The plan is to promote systematic knowledge about marriage and childbirth through theories of love and analysis of real-life cases.
The State Council of China announced a plan to build a "childbirth-friendly society" last October as part of an economic stimulus package, putting full effort into encouraging childbirth. State-run media have also launched childbirth promotion campaigns. The People's Daily published an article stating that childbirth is beneficial to maternal health and also helps prevent cancer.
Currently, China is experiencing a serious population decline, with the number of deaths surpassing the number of births. Economist Ren Zeping warned, "China is facing three demographic crises: aging, low birthrate, and low marriage rates," adding, "The speed and scale of China's aging population are unprecedented."
The younger generation's perception of marriage itself has also changed compared to older generations. According to a report jointly released earlier this year by various organizations including the China Family Planning Association and China Youth Network, young people in China do not consider marriage an essential part of life.
The Chinese government implemented the one-child policy from the 1980s, fully allowed the two-child policy in 2016, and introduced a three-child policy per family in May 2021. However, as living and education costs have risen, avoidance of marriage and childbirth has deepened, and birth rates have continued to decline despite various incentives.
Professor Wang Feng of the University of California, Irvine, emphasized, "This generation is the most educated generation in Chinese history," adding, "Unless the high living costs and career interruption issues faced by young men and women, especially young women, are resolved, it will be difficult to raise the birthrate."
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