We Need More People!
“Who would want to have a third kid when it is nearly impossible to support themselves? I do not want to get married or bear child. That is the most miserable situation I can put myself in, and I am not dumb.” stated my cousin, Nan Nan who is currently 28 years old and living in Fuzhou, China. What Nan Nan said reflects the feelings of many people of the younger generations.
Background Information and History
China is the second most populated country in the world with a total population of 1.4 billion by 2023. Its birth rate sky-rocketed after 1949 due to the labor force demand and traditional social norms. To control the population boom around the 1950s, the One-Child Policy was implemented. Citizens were only allowed to have one baby. This policy was enforced through the usage of sterilizations, abortions, contraceptives, and other financial incentives. It turned out to be a successful move by the government since the population growth began to decline steadily.
As a result of the One-Child Policy, China entered a new era with arising problems. There was a significant gender imbalance because of the preference for boys. Also, the increase of age dependency ratio (ratio of people ages under 15 and over 64 to people ages between 15 and 64) led to a financial burden on the new generations. To address these issues, the Chinese government implemented the Two-Child Policy which allowed families to have two children in 2015. However, the fertility rate in China continued to plummet. Realizing the ineffectiveness of the policy, China soon implemented its Three-Child Policy that provided more incentives for people to have babies in June 2021. Yet, this policy is also unable to reverse the current trend.
Currently, China’s fertility rate is lower than that of most developed countries despite it being a developing country. In 2023, the fertility rate reached an astonishing number of 1. What does this number suggest? To have continuous population growth, the total fertility rate of a country must reach the replacement rate of 2.1 (a couple must have at least two children to replace themselves). According to the United Nations (UN), China’s population is expected to reach its climax in 2031 and will begin declining after.
Understanding the Social Structure
As a Chinese born in America, I lack insight on the current Chinese society. I connected with my cousin Nan Nan through WeChat to ask her about the younger generation’s opinion on having child, “Children are often deemed as labor forces and an ‘insurance’ for when the parents are older. The Chinese culture considers more children as more fortune.” So, why has the fertility rate decreased? From numerous Chinese media outlets, many people born in the 1990s and 2000s stated they are unwilling to get married due to the receding economy, increased competition, parental responsibility & relationship management, and traditional social norms.
Low Labor Cost, Education, & Competition
Have you ever wondered why many goods you see in stores are made in China? It is because of the low labor cost that maximizes the profit for many companies and corporations. Although it benefits us since we can buy goods at a lower price, Chinese workers suffer from low wages and unsafe work environments. According to my cousin, Nan Nan, she works a relative’s factory for 12 hours a day with a low wage. Many people of her age are going through the exact same hardship, “We work from 8 am to 8 pm for six days a week just to pay rent for an insanely tiny apartment. A lot of employers exploit us to help them gain more money. Many of us do not even get paid for working overtime. I often return home exhausted and stinky. There are a bunch of chores waiting for me at home; yet, I do not have enough energy to force myself to do those stuff. My life is a mess.”
Besides cheap labor, a large population leads to increased competition in employment and education opportunities. In addition, China has a completely different education system than U.S. Nan Nan asserts, “It is strict and inhumane. Students in elementary school have the easiest schedule, having classes for a total time of 10 hours. In middle school, most students are required to live on-site. There are restrictions to prevent students from leaving the school. High schools are similar to middle school but with mandatory self-study sessions late at night. There are two important exams in their lives. The middle-school exam determines whether they are entering a high school (good) or a technical skill school (deemed not as good). The high school exam (gaokao) determines which college they can enter.”
Around 50% of middle-school students are unable to pursue a college education because of limited opportunities. Those who enter college think they are set for life. However, this is untrue. In the current workforce, college students are considered consumables. Students with great academic achievements and undergraduate degrees have to compete for the same position which pays little and requires skillsets that are more than needed. Nan Nan also spoke about her current employment status as an undergraduate from a prestigious college, “I was working a job in the office that only paid 3,000 yuan. I even got laid off after a while. Now, I am just staying at home and doing some jobs here and there.” Due to these factors, China is entering a period of stagnation for the new generations. Would you remain motivated to work hard if your future is predictable and your ability to move up in social status is limited?
Parental Relationships in Chinese Family
Questions about the Chinese parenting style have risen in recent years. Childhood trauma prevalence among adolescents is at an astonishing 79.01% in China. Many complain about the practice of authoritarian parenting style in their families. As the only child, Nan Nan has a lot to say about parenting, “Chinese parents often degrade their children. Young children are not seen as individuals but as properties and investments. As a child, you must obey what your parents say and cannot disagree. Shaming and physical punishments are often used to reinforce the authority and power of parents. One common saying among Chinese families is ‘You have to live up to the money I spent on you. We work so hard every day just to provide for your needs. You must repay us in the future.'”
In the traditional Chinese parent-child relationship, love is conditional. My cousin remembers the time when her mom scolded her when she was sick, “Stop pretending you are sick. You just want to avoid school. You are such a disgrace to our family. Why did I even suffer for nine months to give birth to a piece of sh**.” Besides verbal abuse, the children in our family often whacked with bamboo branches These experiences have left Nan Nan with a traumatic childhood. She does not want to become like her parents when interacting with her child. These inhumane customs should be stopped in our generation.
Traditional Marriage and Gender Roles
Similar to many developed countries, feminism has also had a substantial impact on people’s beliefs and behaviors. She began realizing the prevailing conflict, “There is currently a collision between feminism and the traditional gender norms. Chinese women have been suppressed for centuries. Society has always favored men over women throughout history. Men are deemed as the only means to continue the family lineage because women will eventually marry into another family. Men have to work to provide for their family, while women have to take care of house chores and the other members of the household. As beliefs and aspects of feminism were advocated through media platforms and the internet, women began fighting for their deserved rights and respect. However, influencers have taken advantage of this social movement to another extent. They promoted the superiority of women and abused their privileges, which led to the frustration of men. For instance, a comedian became famous after saying, “How can these men be so ordinary but so confident at the same time?” This “joke” enraged millions of men. Ironically, feminists often advocated the importance of confidence and self-esteem for women. Yet, these collisions between men and women eventually evolved into a gender war of the new generation.
In China, marriage is more complicated than many would assume. Living in a Chinese family, I felt immense pressure from my grandparents about marriage as a man. To view marriage in a woman’s perspective, I queried my cousin about how marriage is different in China: “Marriage is deemed a mandatory step in life. If you are not married by a certain age, you will be treated as inferior. Men should have a stable, good-paying job while owning a house and a car. These are seen as the most basic requirements. On the other hand, women are still assumed to become housewives after marriage by the society. Women struggle to find a balance between their careers and family. Also, women who are married are often discriminated against in the job market due to the maternal leave policies.” As a former job-hunting college student, Nan Nan also experienced gender discrimination when applying for a marketing position, “Even though I had higher education and more working experiences, the company chose another man over me.”
Besides these unequal treatment, betrothal gifts have been an influencing factor for marriage. In the Chinese, the groom’s side of the family has to gift money or other valuable items to the bride’s family. To repay this gift, the bride’s side of the family should also gift dowry. However, the amount of value depends on the tradition in the area. In 2022, the average betrothal gift is around 70,000 yuan. To gain a better understanding of this number, the average salary in 2020 is 79,854 yuan. Considering that ihe cost of a dowry gift is basically equal to the average salary,, it has become a controversial topic. A lot of people believe that the betrothal gift given to the bride’s family exceeds the “value of the marriage”. Others would like to eliminate this tradition because women are becoming more financially independent. If families from both sides cannot come to an agreement on the amount of the gift, it will result in a broken engagement.
In the Chinese culture, marriage is not a romantic union. It is more like a business transaction. If you give me enough money, I will “sell my daughter” to you. When asked about plans for marriage, Nan Nan stated, “I am not sure about it. My parents are the ones to make the decisions anyway.” The core issue of this dispute is also gender inequality. Men’s value is based on their social status and wealth. Women’s value is based on their appearance and fertility. It is difficult for one to measure these values when perceiving with different lenses.
Results of Three-Child Policy
As expected, this new policy did not make a change due to the issues mentioned. At the end of my conversation with Nan Nan, I asked her, “Do you think that this new policy would actually make a difference?” She responded, “That is a ridiculous question. Everyone knows the answer. Nothing is going to change if the government continues to ignore these social and economic issues. What does giving us a few coins going to do?” So, what will China do next to save its population from decreasing? No one knows the answer. If you were born in China, would you choose to get married and have a kid? Because I know my answer. Despite being born in the U.S., I grew up with the influence of the Chinese culture. My childhood is really similar to Nan Nan. My grandparents have been pressuring me into marriage before their death. However, I do not want to be married because I rather focus and spend all my money on myself, so I can enjoy life. Having a child is also too much of a burden for me.
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