China recorded its first population decline in 60 years last week, with long-term projections pointing to continued decline over the next 30 years.

In response, the government is trying to implement various measures to increase the birth rate, including offering financial subsidies and other benefits to families.

However, several young Chinese told DW that they are pessimistic about the future, and this is reflected in their changing attitudes towards marriage and family planning.

“Young people in China tend to think that the future is bleak and life is full of stress,” says Emma Lee, a 25-year-old Chinese woman living in Shanghai. “Having children is a choice that will add stress to life. Many of us have chosen to be the “last generation” in our family.

Li said the news of China’s first population decline in decades has not changed her views on starting a family.

“I’ve discussed marriage and having children with many of my friends, and many of them don’t want to go down the traditional family planning route,” she told DW.

“Since many young Chinese today are highly educated, it is difficult to convince them that girls will definitely marry for love, live happy lives and have harmonious families,” he added.

What prevents young Chinese from starting families?

Others said that the stressful lifestyle in China and the pressures of everyday life simply prevented them from starting a family.

“Long hours, unsatisfactory jobs and the need to survive on low wages during inflation make it impossible to raise our children,” says Cynthia Liu, 27, who lives in Beijing.

“And with heavy government censorship of books, movies and even video games, we don’t know how to give our children a happy childhood. Compassion and a sense of responsibility have largely convinced us not to bring new life into such a world,” he added.

In 2021, the Chinese government introduced measures to limit children’s online gaming to three hours a week. China’s National Broadcasting and Television Administration also announced a ban on cartoons containing “violence, blood, vulgarity or pornography.”

Yong Zhu, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Michigan, told DW that more young women in China are placing more emphasis on individual pursuits, such as a successful career.

“Gender discrimination in China’s labor market and huge hopes for motherhood for women are restrictions that prevent people from getting married or having children,” she said.

Youth Unemployment Rises During COVID-19 Pandemic

The lockdown and increased government scrutiny during the coronavirus pandemic has also had a significant impact on Chinese society and people’s prospects for the future.

“Repeated lockdowns over the past three years have cost many Chinese people their savings and sense of security,” said Adam Wang, a 26-year-old Chinese man who lives in Tianjin City.

“Factories and food delivery platforms are failing to provide basic benefits to their workers as more people struggle to become civil servants as China’s youth unemployment rate hits new highs during the pandemic,” he told DW.

He also said the deteriorating economic outlook has left many young people in China struggling to make ends meet. “Many of us simply don’t have time to think about getting married or having children because we can’t even lead a decent life for ourselves,” he added.

After intermittent lockdowns in cities across China since 2020, the number of unemployed Chinese aged 16 to 24 reached 20 million in December 2022. Data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics also showed that the youth unemployment rate reached 19.9%. in July 2022.

Are government incentives enough?

The last time China’s population declined year on year was in 1961, the last year of the country’s great famine. By 2023, India is predicted to overtake China as the most populous country in the world. The UN predicts that China’s population will decline from over 1.4 billion in 2022 to about 1.3 billion in 2050 and below 800 million by 2100.

To defuse this demographic time bomb, the Chinese government has taken a number of measures to encourage young people to have more children.

In some cities, the authorities promise state subsidies to families with three children, in others – subsidies that encourage citizens to buy housing.

However, it is not clear whether these measures will be attractive enough to motivate people to start families.

“Wealthy cities such as Shenzhen and Jinan have pledged up to 20,000 yuan (2,700 euros) over three years to families with three children, but I think only people who already want to have more children will try to apply for the subsidy. . Cynthia Liu from Beijing told DW.

“Women who don’t want to have more children can easily make more money than they do in six months. In other parts of China, local authorities do not offer any subsidies. Measures to encourage people to have more children are mostly empty slogans painted on the walls,” he added.

Emma Li from Shanghai said many of her single friends and family members felt the government was not providing enough support to encourage women to have children.

“Even for those who want to have more children, the incentives for them are usually not related to government policy,” he said.

“I think that the birth rate in China will continue to decline, but in the near future, the quality of life of young people in China will improve as they have more resources to spend on themselves,” he explained.

Source: Deutsche Welle.