Either way that’s a great idea. I would put adoption as eligible as well. I really hope chinese society makes adoption more acceptable. I feel sad thinking about those orphans.
China demographics thread.
- Thread starter gadgetcool5
- Start date
Interesting statistic that gives you an idea of what future world populations will be like.
More children will be born this year in Nigeria alone than Europe and US combined.
The Chinese government has pledged to improve pre- and post-natal services to encourage more people to have children and reiterated its intent to “discourage” abortions as it seeks to turn around a declining birth rate.
The measures announced by the country’s national health commission include a pledge to make fertility treatments more accessible. For several years authorities have flagged but it remains available only to married couples. A court challenge by a woman was .
The commission said it would guide local governments and health institutions to make the changes, including the provision of “targeted services to the masses through health education, psychological counselling, traditional Chinese medicine services, drug treatment, surgical treatment, assisted reproductive technology and other means to improve the level of infertility prevention and treatment”.
Reproductive health education campaigns would also be carried out to enhance public awareness while “preventing unintended pregnancy and reducing abortions that are not medically necessary”.
The measures were described as crucial for promoting the long-term balanced development of the population.
The guidelines mark the most comprehensive effort at a national level, including the attempt to reduce abortions, which have been generally readily accessible for many years. At least 9.5m abortions were carried out between 2015 to 2019, according to a report published by the commission at the end of 2021, but some experts believe the number to be far higher.
The government had previously publicly stated its intention to discourage “non-medical abortions” but has not yet defined what constitutes a “non-medical” abortion, or how it would discourage them, which has alarmed women’s rights groups.
China has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, and government efforts to encourage people to have more children . The country is approaching a demographic crisis with in more than six decades.
The high cost of living, delayed marriages and lack of social mobility are frequently cited as contributing factors to young Chinese people’s reluctance to have children, as well as the lingering impact of the government’s decades-long one-child policy, which included forced abortions.
In recent years, the government has lifted limits on the number of children a couple can have, introduced tax deductions and other incentives, and sought to address the high cost of raising a child, including by, in effect, shutting down the private tutoring industry.
Yi Fuxian, an obstetrics and gynaecology researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, suggested Chinese authorities were having trouble shifting from the policy setting where a pregnancy was considered a burden, to one where it is a contributor to the country’s wealth.
The rollout of domestic policies was having little effect, Yi said, because couples did not want to have children, could not afford to, or were leaving marriage so late that they found themselves unable to.
“All economic and social policies have revolved around mainstream families with only one child … so young people protest by not having children, and Shanghai youth shout ‘we are the last generation’,” Yi said. “Only after making up for each shortcoming can the fertility rate be increased.”
Yi said many east Asian countries were struggling to address declining birth rates.
“In east Asia, Japan is the most successful country in encouraging fertility, and is the most generous in encouraging fertility, providing cash incentives, housing subsidies, free childcare, free education and free medical care for children under 16 years old,” he said. “Although the cost is high, the effect is not good. Japan’s fertility rate increased from 1.26 in 2005 to 1.45 in 2015 but fell to 1.30 again in 2021.”
Source:
9.5 million abortions each year between 2015 and 2019. Sex only for the pleasure of it and not for creating a solid new generation.
The measures announced by the country’s national health commission include a pledge to make fertility treatments more accessible. For several years authorities have flagged but it remains available only to married couples. A court challenge by a woman was .
The commission said it would guide local governments and health institutions to make the changes, including the provision of “targeted services to the masses through health education, psychological counselling, traditional Chinese medicine services, drug treatment, surgical treatment, assisted reproductive technology and other means to improve the level of infertility prevention and treatment”.
Reproductive health education campaigns would also be carried out to enhance public awareness while “preventing unintended pregnancy and reducing abortions that are not medically necessary”.
The measures were described as crucial for promoting the long-term balanced development of the population.
The guidelines mark the most comprehensive effort at a national level, including the attempt to reduce abortions, which have been generally readily accessible for many years. At least 9.5m abortions were carried out between 2015 to 2019, according to a report published by the commission at the end of 2021, but some experts believe the number to be far higher.
The government had previously publicly stated its intention to discourage “non-medical abortions” but has not yet defined what constitutes a “non-medical” abortion, or how it would discourage them, which has alarmed women’s rights groups.
China has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, and government efforts to encourage people to have more children . The country is approaching a demographic crisis with in more than six decades.
The high cost of living, delayed marriages and lack of social mobility are frequently cited as contributing factors to young Chinese people’s reluctance to have children, as well as the lingering impact of the government’s decades-long one-child policy, which included forced abortions.
In recent years, the government has lifted limits on the number of children a couple can have, introduced tax deductions and other incentives, and sought to address the high cost of raising a child, including by, in effect, shutting down the private tutoring industry.
Yi Fuxian, an obstetrics and gynaecology researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, suggested Chinese authorities were having trouble shifting from the policy setting where a pregnancy was considered a burden, to one where it is a contributor to the country’s wealth.
The rollout of domestic policies was having little effect, Yi said, because couples did not want to have children, could not afford to, or were leaving marriage so late that they found themselves unable to.
“All economic and social policies have revolved around mainstream families with only one child … so young people protest by not having children, and Shanghai youth shout ‘we are the last generation’,” Yi said. “Only after making up for each shortcoming can the fertility rate be increased.”
Yi said many east Asian countries were struggling to address declining birth rates.
“In east Asia, Japan is the most successful country in encouraging fertility, and is the most generous in encouraging fertility, providing cash incentives, housing subsidies, free childcare, free education and free medical care for children under 16 years old,” he said. “Although the cost is high, the effect is not good. Japan’s fertility rate increased from 1.26 in 2005 to 1.45 in 2015 but fell to 1.30 again in 2021.”
Source:
9.5 million abortions each year between 2015 and 2019. Sex only for the pleasure of it and not for creating a solid new generation.
What do they mean when it said delayed marriage lead to demographic decline? Like the marriage is being delayed due to the financial or pandemic factor?.
Over the last 200 years the population of Africa has increased exponentially yet famines have decreased to the point where they don't exist anymore.
Food won't be a bottleneck to increased population any time soon.
People are simply not having children until it's too late.
I think it's a remnant of the imported Soviet mindset which the CPC still hasn't shaken off. Instead of looking at a failed model, CPC needs to stick to traditional Chinese values.
Limiting or "discouraging" abortion seems like the easiest way to solve a demographics crisis.
Unless humanity miraculously evolve into a higher form and it eliminates sex drive completely, this measure would quickly lead to increase of births.
Human "rights" and underground abortions will be the consequences, but I guess that's the price to pay.
The Chinese govt has plans to limit abortions, but I don't think the main reason is to increase birth rates directly via people having unplanned pregnancies. If you visit Chinese social media, sometimes you'll see stories of young women (or girls) having multiple abortions. As you can imagine, that can have a terrible effect on the body and cause infertility. The number of abortions in China is almost as high as the number of births which is far too many. It's a health problem first and foremost that should be addressed, and of course that'll help reduce infertility in the population.
On a side note, China isn't the only country with high abortion rates in the region. Countries like Vietnam and India actually have pretty high rates too, the difference being those countries have a lot higher birth rates than China though theirs is decreasing pretty rapidly too. Seems like the common denominator those countries have with China is that people need way better education. Like you say, sex drive isn't going to disappear.
Editorial by SCMP Editorial
State Council proposals to reverse a declining population through a series of incentives are only the beginning and require the support of all.
The multipronged strategy China needs to reverse a declining population is laid out in a State Council policy document. Issued by 17 ministries, it contains approaches widely acknowledged by demographers as being necessary to encourage couples to marry and have children.
On paper, it would seem to have the right ingredients for success. But formulating a plan is only the beginning; ensuring it is properly enacted and supported by local governments, employers and society is essential.
Beijing’s goal is for couples to have up to three children. China has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates, with the average number of babies born to each woman being just 1.3.
Falling birth levels and an ageing population have grave implications for national development. Encouraging people to raise families is an important first step.
But a web of factors has to be dealt with. Child-rearing is expensive in many urban areas due to rising costs for housing, food and education and a paucity of affordable day-care options.
Most of the burden of caring for families falls on women, making juggling careers difficult. Increasingly well-educated, many would prefer to follow their vocational calling rather than marry and have children.
The course of action put forward goes some way to addressing those issues. Employers are encouraged to adopt flexible working hours and give those with children the option to work from home.
Recommendations are also made to improve living standards and access to public facilities. Among them are bigger public housing flats, an extension of existing tax incentives for those with youngsters under three years old and a comprehensive package of support measures to be determined by local authorities.
But top-down policies also require grass-roots support. There were 7.63 million marriages last year, the lowest number since records began 36 years ago.
The figure has been falling since peaking in 2013, young singles seemingly more interested in getting good jobs and climbing career ladders. Women are particularly reticent; they see having children as a barrier to getting promoted and are only too aware of the expectation many men have that wives do the lion’s share of child-rearing and household chores.
Changing such attitudes requires a societal shift and does not happen overnight. Authorities also have to be mindful that China’s population crisis is in large part a consequence of the one-child policy, affecting most families and in place from 1980 until 2016, when couples were allowed to have two children and then three from last year.
Ultimately, it is up to people themselves when they consider the time is right to marry and start a family. Authorities need resolve to ensure enticing and meaningful conditions are in place.
Source non paywall:
Population push by Beijing calls for shift in attitudes of society
State Council proposals to reverse a declining population through a series of incentives are only the beginning and require the support of all.
The multipronged strategy China needs to reverse a declining population is laid out in a State Council policy document. Issued by 17 ministries, it contains approaches widely acknowledged by demographers as being necessary to encourage couples to marry and have children.
On paper, it would seem to have the right ingredients for success. But formulating a plan is only the beginning; ensuring it is properly enacted and supported by local governments, employers and society is essential.
Beijing’s goal is for couples to have up to three children. China has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates, with the average number of babies born to each woman being just 1.3.
Falling birth levels and an ageing population have grave implications for national development. Encouraging people to raise families is an important first step.
But a web of factors has to be dealt with. Child-rearing is expensive in many urban areas due to rising costs for housing, food and education and a paucity of affordable day-care options.
Most of the burden of caring for families falls on women, making juggling careers difficult. Increasingly well-educated, many would prefer to follow their vocational calling rather than marry and have children.
The course of action put forward goes some way to addressing those issues. Employers are encouraged to adopt flexible working hours and give those with children the option to work from home.
Recommendations are also made to improve living standards and access to public facilities. Among them are bigger public housing flats, an extension of existing tax incentives for those with youngsters under three years old and a comprehensive package of support measures to be determined by local authorities.
But top-down policies also require grass-roots support. There were 7.63 million marriages last year, the lowest number since records began 36 years ago.
The figure has been falling since peaking in 2013, young singles seemingly more interested in getting good jobs and climbing career ladders. Women are particularly reticent; they see having children as a barrier to getting promoted and are only too aware of the expectation many men have that wives do the lion’s share of child-rearing and household chores.
Changing such attitudes requires a societal shift and does not happen overnight. Authorities also have to be mindful that China’s population crisis is in large part a consequence of the one-child policy, affecting most families and in place from 1980 until 2016, when couples were allowed to have two children and then three from last year.
Ultimately, it is up to people themselves when they consider the time is right to marry and start a family. Authorities need resolve to ensure enticing and meaningful conditions are in place.
Source non paywall:
I was waiting for this ridiculous thread to start up again; thanks, tidalwave. I made a recent Reddit post on this subject , and I'll quote the relevant part in the interest of brevity:
The more I think about this idea, the more I like it. If implemented, the children resulting from it will be far more likely to make contributions to Chinese science and technology at the highest level than children from the general population. Since the state would be raising them, it can ensure that they're brought up with the proper values.