31-10-2023 (BEIJING) Chinese President Xi Jinping has highlighted the crucial role that women must play in establishing a “new trend of family” amidst the nation’s pressing challenges of an aging population and a significant decline in the birth rate.
President Xi’s comments, published on Monday by the state news agency Xinhua, revealed that the role of women was a central topic of discussion with the new leadership team of the All China Women’s Federation, an organization operating under the Communist Party.
President Xi emphasized that excelling in women’s work is not only vital for women’s personal development but is also intricately linked to “family harmony, social cohesion, national development, and progress.”
He stressed the need to “actively foster a new culture surrounding marriage and childbirth” and provide strong guidance on the younger generation’s perspectives on marriage, childbirth, and family.
Multiple factors, including high childcare costs, career-related obstacles, gender discrimination, and a reluctance to marry, have deterred many young Chinese women from having children. Official policies make it difficult for single women to give birth, as the number of births is closely linked to marriage rates.
China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported the first population decline in six decades in January, with the country’s population aging rapidly. In response to this trend, authorities across China have introduced measures over the past two years to boost the birth rate. These measures include financial incentives and an expansion of childcare facilities.
Chinese state media has frequently associated population development with the country’s strength and “rejuvenation.”
