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05-11-2024
BEIJING: which has been releasing a slew of measures to bolster its sagging population levels, recorded a drop in marriage registrations for the first nine months of 2024, according to official data from Ministry of Civil Affairs.
For the first three quarters of the year, 4.747 million couples were registered nationwide, the data showed. That is a year-on-year decrease of 943,000, a media calculation of the data showed.
The government released the latest data on Friday.
In 2023, 5.690 million marriage registrations were recorded for the first nine months, an increase from 2022.
Growing economic uncertainty and rising living costs across the country have forced many young couples to delay marriage, a troubling sign for lawmakers who have been pushing policies to boost a shrinking population.
China recently revised a draft law that makes it simpler for couples to register marriages, while filing for divorce will become tougher.
For the first three quarters of 2024, 1.967 million divorces were registered, a slight drop of 6,000 year-over-year, according to the data.
Earlier this year, China reported its second annual drop in nationwide births, pushing the government to enact projects and initiatives in major cities to spur young Chinese to create a “new-era” marriage and childbearing culture to foster a friendly child bearing environment.
Getting married and having children has been a heated subject among young Chinese and spawned major discussions and trending threads on social media.
Many young Chinese are opting to stay single or delay getting married due to poor job prospects and worries about the future as growth in the world’s second-largest economy slows.
Chinese President Xi Jinping even weighed in, saying women have a critical role and must establish a “new trend of family”.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said women have a critical role and must establish a “new trend of family”, as the nation grapples with an ageing population and record decline in the birth rate.
Xi in comments, published on state news agency Xinhua on Monday, said the role of women had been part of a discussion with the new leadership team of the All China Women’s Federation, which operates under the Communist Party.
Doing a good job in women’s work is not only related to women’s own development, he said but also related to “family harmony, social harmony, national development and national progress”.
It is necessary to “actively cultivate a new culture of marriage and childbearing and strengthen guidance on young people’s view on marriage, childbirth and family,” he said.
Factors including high childcare costs, career hindrance, gender discrimination and not wanting to get married have deterred many young Chinese women from having children.
The number of births is closely tied to marriage rates because official policies make it hard for single women to have children.
China’s National Bureau of Statistics in January reported the first population drop in six decades and the country’s population is rapidly ageing.
In the last two years, authorities across China have unveiled measures to lift the country’s birth rate including financial incentives and boosting childcare facilities.
The state media has often linked population development to the strength and “rejuvenation” of the country. (Int’l News Desk)
