HONG KONG: China’s National Wellness Commission said COVID-19 has contributed towards the decline in the state’s marriage and birth rates that has accelerated in recent years due to the higher costs of schooling and child-rearing.
Many women are usually continuing to delay their plans to marry or have children, it said, including that rapid economic and social advancements have led to “profound changes”.
Teenagers relocating to cities, more time spent on education and high-pressure functioning environments have also played their part, it added.
Demographers have also said that China’s uncompromising “zero-COVID” policy of promptly stamping out any outbreaks with strict controls on people’s lifestyles may have caused serious, lasting damage on the desire to have children.
“The coronavirus has also had a clear impact on the marriage plus childbirth arrangements associated with some people, ” the commission said.
The comments were sent to Reuters via send late on Mon (Aug 22) in response to questions on the topic.
New births in China are set to fall in order to record lows this season, demographers say, along with forecasts calling for the drop below 10 million compared to final year’s 10. 6 million babies : a level 11. five per cent lower than in 2020.
China had a fertility price of 1. 16 in 2021, one of the cheapest rates in the world plus below the 2. one rate the OECD sees as essential for a stable population. Getting imposed an one-child policy from 1980 to 2015, Cina has acknowledged its population is for the brink of diminishing – a potential crisis that will test its ability to pay plus care for its elderly.
To kitchen counter the problem, authorities in national and provincial levels have over the past year introduced steps such as tax fails, longer maternity keep, enhanced medical insurance, housing subsidies and extra cash for a third kid.