As China’s population decreased, authorities began visiting the homes of Chinese women and asking if they planned to have children. The newspaper reports this New York Times (NYT).
China has been following the “one family, one child” policy since the late 1970s to control the birth rate. In case of the birth of a second child, families were threatened with fines and women could even be persuaded to have an abortion. In 2013, the policy was relaxed and Chinese people were allowed to have two children if one of the parents was the only child in the family. While in 2015 it was already possible to have two children unconditionally, in 2021 families were allowed to have three children.
Chinese authorities are currently promoting a “new fertility culture” as the current generation is less enthusiastic about having children. Particularly in Beijing’s Miyun district, which has a population of about 500 thousand, local family planning authorities have formed a campaign group to promote childbirth. The group contacted more than half of the “age-appropriate” couples at least six times, the newspaper said.
Many cities also offer free premarital medical exams. Many women told the NYT that authorities called them shortly after the exam and advised them to take folic acid, a pregnancy supplement.
According to the UN, China could lose half its population by 2100: by the end of the century, the population could more than halve from 1.42 billion at the end of last year to around 600 million.
Previously reportedHe says the number of divorces is increasing in China.
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Source: Gazeta
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.