Multiple regions introduce incentives to encourage women to have more babies

Several regions across China have recently announced parenting subsidy policies, with some offering one-time subsidies as high as 30,000 yuan (about $4,147). They are part of the efforts to incentivize families to have more children and alleviate the financial strain associated with raising a family.

On Saturday, Bangjiangdong village in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province, introduced an incentive scheme stipulating that villagers who have a second or third child will receive a certain amount of subsidy, with a reward of 10,000 yuan for the second child and 30,000 yuan for the third child. This incentive policy will officially take effect on June 1, Guangzhou Daily reported on Monday.

A village official told media that the scheme mainly takes into consideration the heavy pressures the younger generation is facing nowadays, with the increasing costs of raising a child and higher expectations for the quality of life. Therefore, the issuance of the policy aims to encourage young villagers to have more children, the official said.

Guangdong is the only province in China with a birth population exceeding 1 million for four consecutive years and the leading province in terms of fertility for six consecutive years, according to the latest data released by National Bureau of Statistics in April.

Hohhot, the capital city of North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, has also introduced parenting subsidies to families with more children, media reported on Monday.

Under the new incentive, taxpayers of the city will be able to deduct 2,000 yuan per month in expenses for caring for infants and young children under three years old. For families having a second or third child, they will be given a onetime subsidy of 5,000 yuan.

Also, a 98-day plus 2-month long maternity leave will be granted to families for the first and second child and an additional one month leave for the third. Dads will be given 25 days of paternity leave.

“Less and less young people want to have children. This is due to a number of factors, including higher education which can impact plans to get married and have a family, the high cost of raising children in modern society and the weakening of traditional family culture,” Wang Peian, former deputy director of National Health and Family Planning Commission, told the Global Times.