How to crack "I don't want to give birth, dare not give birth"?
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At present, the population of our country is facing a decline in the number of births, continued delays in the age of marriage and childbearing, continued decline in the willingness of women of childbearing age to have children, and large regional and urban-rural differences in population development characteristics.
Experts believe that to solve the problem of "unwilling to give birth, dare not to give birth", public policy intervention in infant care services is urgent. It is necessary to build a reproductive support policy system to reduce the cost of reproductive and parenting education.
"Improving the birth support policy should be early rather than late. The focus is not only to stimulate the willingness to bear children and increase the population, but also very importantly, to improve the quality of the population as an important prerequisite." Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Executive Deputy Central Committee of the Peasants and Workers Chairman He Wei said at the China Population and Development Forum held recently that it is necessary to solve the scientific nurturing problem that the masses are concerned about, and to ensure that the population of childbearing age will have a good life.
He Wei pointed out that the characteristics of the current situation facing the population of our country are: the cumulative effect of the comprehensive two-child policy is rapidly released, the number of births is declining, and the demographic contradictions are further highlighted; the size of women of childbearing age is gradually decreasing, and the age of marriage and childbirth continues to be postponed. Women of childbearing age continue to decrease their willingness to bear children; there are large regional and urban-rural differences in the characteristics of population development in my country.
In terms of services, the differences between regions, urban and rural areas are also significant.
At the meeting, Wang Peian, deputy director of the Population, Resources and Environment Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Party Secretary and Executive Vice President of the China Family Planning Association, said that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, affected by various factors, my country's fertility level still continues to decline. It is necessary to work hard to solve the problems of the masses "unwilling to give birth, dare not give birth, not giving birth, and giving birth badly" and strive to achieve a better fertility level.
Insufficient supply of infant care services
It is understood that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the number of women in the booming childbearing period in my country has decreased by about 6.2 million every year, the average age of first marriage and childbirth has been delayed to varying degrees, and the proportion of women over 35 years old has increased.
Together, these have become important reasons for the decline in the size of the birth population.
At the same time, with the post-90s and post-00s becoming the main body of childbirth, the phenomenon of delayed marriage and childbearing, non-marriage and infertility is common among the younger generation, and their willingness to marry and childbirth is significantly lower than those born in the 70s and 80s.
However, in the underdeveloped areas, especially the deeply impoverished areas, they still face the problem of excessive population growth.
In 2019, my country's natural population growth rate was 3.34‰, and the natural growth rate of permanent residents in 212 counties in deep poverty was higher than the national average. However, the level of medical service security and maternity security in these areas is still far below the national average.
"On the whole, the problem of insufficient supply of care services for infants and children aged 0-3 is still prominent, especially for children in poor rural areas and left-behind children in rural areas." Li Wei, Director of the Population, Resources and Environment Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the China Development Research Foundation emphasized. Due to family poverty, parents’ going out to work, single parents, low education level of their supporters, inadequate public services and lack of proper nutrition, necessary parenting and education opportunities, many children are in a disadvantaged growth environment; if there is no public Most of the policy interventions may be due to insufficient human capital accumulation, and fall into poverty again after adulthood like their parents, thus continuing the so-called intergenerational transmission of poverty. This is very worrying and worrying.
Public policy intervention is urgent
At present, the total number of infants and young children under 3 in my country exceeds 47 million.
Contradictions in family parenting have become increasingly prominent, and the masses’ worries about the high economic costs of childbirth, unattended, and influencing career development, have increasingly become a hot spot of social concern.
According to a recent survey of more than 5,000 infants and young children organized by the All-China Women’s Federation, the comprehensive development level of children in poverty-stricken areas is lower than the national average, and the gap with urban children is widening; 86.4% of infants and young children have not received any early care The family nurturing environment is very poor for services related to nursing.
In April 2019, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of Care Services for Infants and Children under 3 Years Old".
Various localities have taken active actions to explore and practice, and diversified service models such as commercial complex embedded, community operation, kindergarten extension, family "neighbor care", and corporate welfare have emerged.
Yu Xuejun, deputy director of the National Health Commission, said that from the demand side, only a small part of childcare services can be met at present. Many mothers have to interrupt their employment because there is no one to take care of their children, and many families have no one to take care of their babies. Toddlers give up the idea of having a child.
From the supply side, my country’s legal and regulatory system planning in relevant fields is still blank, and policy standards and regulations need to be further improved. Inclusive infant care services are seriously inadequate. The team building of infant care services also urgently needs to be further strengthened. Comprehensive supervision The mechanism has not been fully established, and the ability of infant care institutions to resist risks is relatively weak.
Li Wei believes that public policy interventions in infant care services in poverty-stricken areas cannot be delayed.
During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, consideration can be given to including infant care services in underdeveloped areas into the basic public service system.
At the same time, give full play to the role of family planning associations, public welfare foundations and other organizations, and actively explore diversified and full coverage infant care service models.
Create a child-friendly social environment
Wang Peian pointed out that the key to solving the problem of "unwilling to have children" is to actively advocate the establishment of a basic national policy to tackle the problem of declining birthrates at an advanced age.
Improve the top-level design and system construction, formulate a complete legal and institutional guarantee system that is compatible with the basic state policy status, and improve the supporting policy systems for childbirth, education, employment, social security, public services, and industrial development.
To solve the problem of "dare to give birth", Wang Peian believes that it is necessary to build a reproductive support policy system to reduce the cost of childbearing education.
Vigorously develop infant care services.
Highlight shortcomings, incorporate childcare services into the scope of basic public services, and make childcare service systems an important part of the construction of basic public service systems.
In areas where the birth population is declining and pre-school education resources are abundant, encourage "integration of nursery and child care", promote the establishment of nursery classes in conditional kindergartens, and incorporate childcare services for children aged 2 to 3 years into an inclusive preschool based on public institutions Education service system.
Improve family welfare policies.
Make the family a basic welfare unit, promote the introduction of relevant subsidies and preferential tax policies, study the inclusion of childcare expenses for 0 to 3 years of age into the scope of personal income tax deduction, explore the establishment of a childcare subsidy system, and reduce the economic pressure of family childcare.
Encourage social forces to participate in modern housekeeping services and expand the coverage of inclusive services.
Optimize the maternity leave and parental leave system.
Promote female employment security and gender equality systems, appropriately increase parental leave such as spouse care leave and family parenting leave, encourage men to participate in child care, encourage intergenerational support for family parenting, and create a good atmosphere in which families share parenting responsibilities.
Encourage qualified enterprises, support employees to take paid vacations, and explore flexible working systems.
Ji Wei