A county in eastern China is paying newlyweds a “reward” of 1,000 yuan ($137) if the bride is 25 or younger, the country’s latest attempt to encourage young people to marry amid growing worry over a dwindling birth rate.
The notification, which was posted last week on Changshan County’s official WeChat account, stated that the award was intended to encourage “age-appropriate marriage and childbearing” for first marriages. It also offered payments for childcare, fertility, and education for married couples with children.
The Chinese government is concerned about the country’s first population reduction in six decades, as well as its increasingly aging population.
Government officials are attempting a variety of strategies to increase birth rates, including financial incentives and enhanced childcare facilities.
The legal marriage age in China is 22 for males and 20 for females, but the number of couples marrying has been declining due to official measures that make it more difficult for single women to produce children.
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, according to state media.
Women in China have refused to give birth due to high childcare costs and having to stop their careers.
Apart from that, growing concerns over the health of China’s economy, Gender discrimination, and traditional stereotypes of women caring for their children are still widespread throughout the country – making these key factors cited by young Chinese for not wanting to get married and have children.