- The Chinese city of Hangzhou is donating $2,900 to parents expecting their third child this year.
- Some other cities give nearly 30 days of marriage leave to boost birth rates.
- Responding to the population crisis in China, where the population is declining for the first time in 60 years.
China, the world’s second-largest economy and one of the world’s most populous nations, is trying to get its people to have more babies.
The government of Hangzhou, a technology hub in eastern China and home to e-commerce giant Alibaba, plans to give new parents 20,000 yuan ($2,900) as a one-time subsidy to have a third child this year. so says local sources. Media Zhejiang Daily.
Those with a second child will receive about $720, the outlet added, citing a policy passed by the local government’s parliament on Wednesday.
Wenzhou, a city in southeastern China, plans to offer potential parents subsidies of up to 3,000 yuan, or more than $400 per child. Local government notice Meanwhile, the northeastern city of Shenyang offers subsidies of up to $72 per month until a child turns 3 years old.
According to a Communist Party-owned news outlet, some Chinese provinces, such as Shanghai and major coal-producing province Shanxi, have increased the number of days of paid marriage leave (or leave given to couples getting married) to up to 30 days. is increasing to people’s daily health. Chinese employees are generally entitled to three days of paid marriage leave.
Push for baby comes after china population began to decline After 60 years. An aging population will have a major impact on the future of China’s economy, workforce and healthcare system.
China is not the only country trying to boost its low birth rate with cash incentives. Singapore, Koreaand Japan has similar programs.
However, the road to China’s population growth is not so simple.
Many Chinese millennials never get married in the first place due to various reasons such as cost and personal choice. Insider’s Matthew Law Reported in April 2022. It is culturally unacceptable in China to have children out of wedlock.
“We need to get back to what makes marriage rates so low,” Stuart Gietel-Basten, a professor of population policy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, told Insider at the time. “If a woman feels, ‘This is a very bad move for my career and life and I’m going to put it off as long as possible,’ it could be a sign of other challenges, blockages and dysfunctions in society. I don’t think so,” he said.