A county in eastern China is providing couples a reward of 1,000 yuan ($137) if the bride is 25 or younger, the latest initiative to encourage young people to marry amid growing worry over a dwindling birth rate.
The notice, which was published on Changshan County’s official WeChat account last week, stated that the reward was intended to promote ‘age-appropriate marriage and childbearing’ for first marriages. It also offered payments for childcare, fertility, and education for married couples with children.
Concerned with China’s first population reduction in six decades and its rapidly aging population, authorities are rushing to implement a slew of birth-inducing policies, including financial incentives and expanded childcare facilities.
The legal marriage age in China is 22 for males and 20 for females, however, the number of couples marrying has been declining. Because of official measures that make it more difficult for unmarried women to have children, birth rates have fallen.
According to government figures issued in June, marriage rates will reach a new low of 6.8 million in 2022, the lowest since 1986. Last year, there were 800,000 fewer marriages than in 2021.
China’s fertility rate, which is already among the lowest in the world, is expected to reach a new low of 1.09 in 2022.
Many women have chosen not to have children at all or more than one due to the high cost of daycare and having to give up their employment.
The nation is still rife with gender discrimination and outdated notions about how mothers should raise their children.
Young Chinese people frequently mention these issues as major deterrents to getting married and starting a family, along with low consumer confidence and rising economic anxiety.
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