China wants to increase its birth rate. To achieve this objective, the State Council has decided to introduce a number of changes to encourage citizens to have multiple children. Family protection policies have been strengthened, and the country says it wants to build a “new culture of marriage and childbirth.'' Just a few years ago, the Chinese government supported and promoted one-child families and sought to curb the birth rate.
According to Xinhua News Agency, China's State Council has decided to introduce a number of policies aimed at strengthening pro-family policies that will lead to higher birth rates. We aim to support childbirth and promote a “society that makes childbirth easier.''
Not enough children are born in China. The government wants to change this
The fund is expected to include increased funding for education support, as well as expanded support for maternity services and childcare. The plan also includes raising awareness in the areas of housing and employment, as well as actively building a “new culture of marriage and childbirth,” according to the announcement.
Just a few years ago, China promoted a completely different family model. Population control was implemented from 1980 to 2015, and households with one child were supported. And if someone wanted to have more children, they had to take into account such unpleasant consequences as financial penalties, additional educational costs, and no bonuses at work.
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During the implementation of this policy, human rights abuses and violations occurred. Women were forced to terminate pregnancies, and in rural areas, newborns, primarily girls, were killed. They often took bribes and sent children to orphanages.
The controversial policy ended in 2015, and China felt its effects a year later. In 2016, the population of the Middle Kingdom began to decline. In 2021, authorities allowed people to have up to three children, but in the years that followed, interest in having more children only waned.
Families could only have one child. Its influence is still felt today
The number of children born in China in 2023 will be 9.02 million, a decrease of 5.6%. From 9.56 million people in 2022. The birth rate is at a record low of 6.39 babies per 1,000 people, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. By the way, in 2022 it was 6.77. Furthermore, the death rate last year reached its highest level since the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s.
Chinese people have also been affected by the new coronavirus infection. The highly restrictive policies followed by the sudden lifting of all restrictions resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. The Chinese government has not released exact figures, but experts estimate that up to millions of people may have lost their lives to the pandemic.
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