Academics discuss cultural roots in birth rate drop

As China's declining birth rates have been a prominent topic of discussion in recent years, an academic seminar held on Saturday in Beijing has shed light on one major contributing factor: shifting cultural attitudes.

Yuan Xin, vice-president of the China Population Association, told National Business Daily at the seminar young people today prioritize personal development and enjoyment of life over having children.

"They view child-rearing as a potential hindrance to their goals. This represents a significant departure from the traditional emphasis on family and child-rearing in Chinese culture," he was quoted as saying.

To combat declining birth rates, many local governments have implemented policies aimed at encouraging births, including financial incentives and improved parental leave.

He Dan, director of the China Population and Development Research Center, said in an article published in the journal Population and Family Planning in May that these policies have focused primarily on families with two or more children, while ignoring the crucial role played by first-born children in overall birth rates.

Ignoring this will not only inhibit the desire of the majority of families to have a first child, but also adversely inhibit the willingness to have more children, and ultimately fail to achieve moderate fertility levels, He said.

Some regions are now expanding their incentives to include first-born children. One example is the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, which recently announced a one-time birth subsidy of 1,000 yuan ($140) for first-born children.