China Focus: Chinese city to offer incentives for women marrying before 35

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) — To support China’s initiatives to improve the birth rate, the northern Chinese city of Lyuliang, Shanxi Province, has introduced a new regulation offering a 1,500 yuan (about 211 U.S. dollars) reward to women who marry aged 35 and under.
This incentive will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025, and the couple can collect the money at the marriage registration office, according to the regulation, which aims at improving the birth support policy system. It is only applicable to first-time marriages of both parties.
The policy implemented by Lyuliang is among the latest local government efforts to foster a birth-friendly society, which aligns with China’s growing focus on addressing demographic challenges and supporting family development.
Childbirth has been a hot subject of discussion among Chinese netizens in recent years. A nationwide survey conducted by the National Health Commission in 2021 showed that Chinese women were less willing to have children, primarily due to concerns about economic burdens, a lack of time to care for children, and career development.
“The pressures of buying a home, high costs of child education, and exhausting work demands are all real obstacles to childbirth,” commented one user from Beijing on the popular microblogging site Weibo.
Over the years, China’s local governments have accelerated the pace to build a society more conducive to raising children, with measures ranging from better maternity insurance, more childcare slots, to the expansion of health insurance to cover assisted reproductive medical services.
In east China’s Shandong Province, an employment model known as the “mom post” has recently been introduced, offering flexible job positions for women caring for children under 12.
These positions offer flexible working hours and management style, helping the mothers balance their work and childcare, supporting their return to the workforce, and enhancing their fulfillment, happiness and security.
“The issue of childbirth is not merely a matter of personal choice, it also involves family members, the social environment and employer support,” said Shi Yi, an associate researcher at the China Population and Development Research Center. “From this perspective, an individual’s decision to have children reflects not only personal intentions and beliefs, but it is also significantly influenced by social and family environments.”
As one of the world’s most populous countries, China faces the mounting challenge of a population of 1.4 billion aging at a rapid rate.
According to official data, nearly 300 million Chinese citizens are aged 60 or above — a figure projected to surpass 400 million by 2033 and approach 500 million by 2050. By then, seniors are expected to account for nearly 35 percent of the nation’s population.
In response to these demographic shifts, China has gradually relaxed its family planning policies over the past decade.
In 2013, China allowed couples to have a second child if either parent is an only child, and in 2016, it allowed married couples to have two children, phasing out the decades-long one-child policy. In 2021, it announced support for couples who wish to have a third child.
On Monday, the State Council, or China’s cabinet, announced an array of new birth support policies, including expanding childcare systems, cultivating a birth-friendly social atmosphere, and strengthening education, housing and employment support.
“The measures address the immediate needs of the public in areas such as childbirth, childcare and education, tackling pressing issues that people are eager to see resolved,” said Shi.
“Promoting long-term balanced population development requires joint efforts from families, society, the market and the government,” said Yuan Xin, vice president of the China Population Association. ■