Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Urgent need to encourage births after drop in 2021
The one-child policy was implemented in China between 1980 and 2015 to curb the rapid population growth. It restricted urban couples to have only one child but allowed rural couples to have a second child if the first child was a daughter. The policy worked too much and the birth rate fell below the reproduction level. So, in 2015, the government allowed parents to have two children, and last year, up to three. However, the 45-year-long policy produced a huge number of couples who themselves were the only child. Also, it seemed to have been long enough to change the cultural practices and family values. So, despite the central and local government measures to encourage couples to have more than one child, Chinese parents produced 10.62 million babies last year, down from 12 million in the previous year. You may think 10 million is a huge number but China’s population is 1.4 billion. Also, that is almost the same number as the national college entrance exam takers last year. Now, China’s fertility rate was 1.3 in 2000, higher than South Korea’s 0.84 but lower than Japan’s 1.34. A fertility rate of 2.1 is needed to maintain the population. China’s society is aging fast. They need more young people to sustain the economy and welfare, which is a common problem among developed countries.
Enjoy reading the article and think about what could encourage couples to produce more offspring.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202201/18/WS61e5f749a310cdd39bc8194c.html
No comments:
Post a Comment