China’s heavily educated should be incentivised to make babies, delegate urges in proposal to help

Name: China’s top political advisory body kicks off annual session
Uploaded: 2023-03-06T23:00:12.000Z
Duration: 2 min 32 s
Description: China’s top political advisory body kicks off annual session

Universities and colleges urged to fall in line with national childbirth policy direction, by cultivating a more welcoming environment for parenthood

But one demographer warns that college is meant for studying, and ‘starting a family will inevitably affect grades’, so attempts to sway students in family planning should be avoided

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China should “facilitate individuals’ plans for school, childbirth and employment” with a higher education system that supports starting a family, delegate says. Photo: AFP

Luna Sunin Beijing

Published: 7:00am, 7 Mar 2023Updated: 9:29am, 7 Mar 2023

China should provide its postgraduate and doctoral students with “reasonable” financial and policy support if they desire to get married and have children while in school, a delegate proposed at a parliamentary gathering that started on Sunday, highlighting how concerns about the nation’s deepening demographic crisis are prompting fresh policy proposals.

He Dan, director of the China Population And Development Research Centre, said maternity insurance should cover college students, and that the higher education system should better connect with the nation’s marriage and childbirth policies, as quoted by thepaper.cn, a Shanghai-based media outlet.

“[We should] encourage young people to get married and give birth at a proper age while combining that with the reform and adjustment of the educational system to facilitate individuals’ plans for school, childbirth and employment,” said He, who is also a delegate to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

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China’s top political advisory body kicks off annual session

“We should support reasonable marriage and childbearing arrangements for postgraduates and doctoral students; improve marriage and childbearing services for college students; provide time, financial and service support for academic changes caused by marriage, childbirth and parenting problems; and provide medical security and living allowances for college students who have children,” He said.

He said the educational system should take into consideration the optimal age for childbirth and make adjustments accordingly, so that young people can make reasonable marriage and childbirth arrangements.

However, independent demographer He Yafu said college students should not be encouraged to get married and give birth, nor should it be discouraged.

“The main responsibility of college students is to study, and starting a family will inevitably affect grades,” He Yafu said.

China’s population is one of the hottest topics for proposals this year at the annual parliamentary meetings known as the “two sessions”, after the nation recorded its first population decline in six decades last year.