To counter the dwindling birth rate, district officials in China are now calling up women to check if they are pregnant.
For those who respond that they are not pregnant, the official will further ask for the date of their most recent period and offer to give them a reminder call at the “right time” when the chance of conceiving is high.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), this is part of the country’s effort to mitigate the country’s declining birth rate.
To devise new policy options that will encourage procreation, the Chinese government also hopes to obtain data on why many women are refusing to have babies by directly speaking to women of childbearing age, defined as 15 to 49 years old.
China’s fertility rate dropped to 1.09 in 2022, with Shanghai reporting a fertility rate of 0.6 in 2023.
The latest report warned that with the current trajectory, six people will die for every child born in the future.
Source: South China Morning Post
35-year-old Janice Huang, who answered one of these calls, told SCMP her first response was to laugh.
She guessed the surveyor was likely from a previous generation, who did not realise the new generations value privacy and quality of life much more.
Ms Huang had ended the call prematurely after telling the surveyor she had no immediate plans for another child due to a lack of money, time, or energy.
Source: Joshua Fernandez on Unsplash
Families across the country reportedly echo the view, with many citing concerns about the economy and employment when considering having children.
The latest data published in September puts China’s youth unemployment rate at 17.6%.
Other than economic concerns, many families are also reportedly angry over birth control policies that had been in place previously.
Officials who spoke to SCMP said respondents had “strong grievances” towards the one-child policy.
The one-child policy started in 1980 to control population growth and was adjusted to a two-child policy in 2016.
Families who breached the quota were fined.
Source: Nikada on Canva
In 2020, a couple in Guangzhou paid close to 320,000 yuan (S$59,000) in fines for having a third child.
Birth control policies were only officially scraped in 2021 when the limit was raised to three children per family with no fines imposed for exceeding the quota.
Officials said many respondents mentioned the government should refund the penalties charged under the birth control policies to show their sincerity.
Currently, there is no known case of the government refunding fines collected under the policies.
Also read: Tourist from China vows never to return to M’sia, cites lack of Chinese signs & unclear accent
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Featured image adapted from Joshua Fernandez and Wavie on Unsplash.
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