On May 31, 2021, the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee reviewed the "Decision on Optimizing Fertility Policies to Promote Long-term and Balanced Population Development", and made a major decision on "a couple can have three children policy and supporting measures". Following the separate two-child policy and the comprehensive two-child policy, this is the third major adjustment of my country's birth policy in recent years.
The three-child policy is here. Where do supporting measures start?
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee has successively made a series of major decisions and deployments in accordance with my country's population development and changes, and achieved positive results.
At the same time, the total population of our country is huge, and the aging of the population has deepened in recent years.
Further optimizing the childbirth policy will help improve my country's population structure, implement the national strategy to actively respond to the aging of the population, and maintain my country's human resource endowment advantages.
The population issue is related to the development of the country and people's livelihood and well-being. It is also closely related to the lives of the people, such as marriage, childbirth, parenting, and education. Therefore, it is highly concerned by the society.
Why is the three-child policy implemented at this time and what changes will it bring?
The Politburo meeting of the CPC Central Committee emphasized that "marriage, childbirth, parenting, and education must be considered together". How will the supporting measures be specifically designed to better respond to social expectations and promote the implementation of policies?
Regarding the above focus issues, this newspaper specially invited Chen Wei, professor of the School of Social and Demography of Renmin University of China, Ding Zhihong, deputy dean of the School of Social and Psychology, Central University of Finance and Economics, Mao Zhuoyan, professor of the School of Labor Economics, Capital University of Economics and Business, and Chongqing Population and Family Planning Science Liu Guohui, a researcher at the Institute of Technology, and Sheng Yinan, an associate professor at the Institute of Population and Economics, Capital University of Economics and Business, jointly interpreted and discussed.
The "14th Five-Year Plan" period is a window of opportunity that cannot be missed in the overall solution to the population problem
●Public concern: In December 2013, my country began to implement the two-child policy. In October 2015, the Party Central Committee made a comprehensive two-child policy.
Judging from the main data results of the seventh national census, compared with 2010, my country’s total population has continued to grow, the birth population has rebounded, the sex ratio has steadily declined, the number of children has increased, and the "second-child" fertility rate has also been obvious. The promotion shows the positive effects of the policy.
After only 6 years, why should we further optimize the fertility policy?
Chen Wei: The population issue has always been a basic, overall, long-term and strategic issue facing the country.
On the one hand, population development trends are affected by social and economic development, and on the other hand, they will have a comprehensive, profound and long-term impact on economic development and modernization.
Since entering the 21st century, especially the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" and "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" periods, my country's population development has shown a major turning point.
The results of the seventh census showed that the growth trend of my country’s total population has significantly weakened and has maintained a low growth rate for the past 10 years; the proportion of children’s population has rebounded, the proportion of working-age population has declined, and the aging of the population has further deepened; the scale of households has tended to be miniaturized and support for the elderly The juvenile function is weakened.
Although the adjustment of the fertility policy has achieved positive results, the total fertility rate in my country in 2020 is only 1.3 due to the continued delay of women’s marriage and childbirth.
This means that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the aging of the population will further accelerate, and zero negative population growth may come ahead of schedule.
Therefore, the "14th Five-Year Plan" period will be a window of opportunity that cannot be missed in the overall resolution of the population problem.
At present, under the policy framework that takes into account the population pressure and the challenges of the demographic structure, the implementation of the three-child policy provides sufficient space for achieving a moderately low birth rate and regulating the balanced development of the regional population. It also meets the different reproductive needs of different groups and meets their individual characteristics. The goal of globalization and diversification provides more choices.
The high cost of reproductive education and family miniaturization are affecting reproductive choices
●Public concern: In the face of the "red envelope" of the three-child policy, many families still have many worries despite the desire to have children and have more children.
In addition, the diversified concepts of marriage and childbirth, such as unmarried and DINK, are also affecting some people's fertility choices.
Behind the low fertility rate, what is hindering the release of the population's fertility potential?
Ding Zhihong: In the context of rising child-rearing costs and increasing family economic pressures, we see that the cost of childbearing and parenting education has become an important factor affecting the willingness to bear children.
The survey shows that “heavy financial burden” and “no one takes children” are the primary reasons why many families do not want second children.
Especially for people of high-risk childbearing age, the cost of childbirth will be greatly increased.
If assisted reproductive technology is adopted, it is often more expensive.
In terms of parenting costs, the current outstanding problem is the lack of public inclusive childcare services, and the cost of market-based childcare is high, about twice that of preschool education and 1.5 times that of elementary and junior high schools.
Cause people to hesitate to nursery institutions.
At the same time, with the development of society, people pay more and more attention to the quality of children, and educational expenditures are rising, including off-campus tuition classes and interest classes, as well as school district housing and school selection fees.
In addition, for people of childbearing age, especially the floating population of childbearing age, housing problems have also become an important factor affecting fertility.
Liu Guohui: Due to the decline in the fertility rate, the increase in population mobility, the increase in the divorce rate, and the weakening of family values, major changes have taken place in the size, structure and function of the family in my country.
Miniaturization of the family scale.
The average number of persons per household has dropped from 4.43 in 1982 to 2.62 in 2020; the family structure is diversified.
Single-person, DINK, empty-nest and other types have increased, and families with three generations and above have decreased; housing has become decentralized.
The rural population flows to cities, and the phenomenon of left-behind women, children and the elderly is obvious; the housing conditions of urban families have improved and the family concept has changed, and the proportion of the elderly living with their children has continued to decline; from the perspective of family functions, it has been significantly weakened, especially the family pension function.
These are directly related to the decline in family cohesion caused by family culture and family ethics alienation, and affect family reproductive behavior.
Sheng Yinan: Childbirth not only brings the explicit costs of raising and education to the family, but also brings hidden costs such as time and affection to the parents.
With the changes in people's lifestyles and the increasing demands of families for the quality of children, every additional child born will make the family bear more costs.
Families often share the cost of childbirth within the family through intergenerational support.
For example, in many families, young couples need labor and financial assistance provided by their parents or relatives.
However, with the changes in the family structure, most families in China have become small family households, making the family's childrearing and elderly care functions continue to weaken.
Supporting policies need to attach great importance to the promotion of women’s development
●Public concern: Women are the main body of childbirth and the main members of the family who undertake the responsibility of raising and caring for.
The implementation of the three-child policy has given women more reproductive options, but will it also bring more pressure between family and work to some female groups, and aggravate gender discrimination in employment and the workplace?
Mao Zhuoyan: The implementation of the three-child policy will indeed bring more challenges to the development of women of different ages.
First, the contradiction between young women facing the best age for childbearing and the golden age of personal development is more prominent.
At present, the proportion of women enrolled in universities and higher education in my country has surpassed that of men.
The desire of young women to pursue their own development is even more urgent.
In the context of increasingly fierce labor market competition, when young women are faced with the choice between "birth" or "development", the latter often becomes their first choice.
In recent years, the continuous delay of marriage and first childbearing age has been the "tip of the iceberg" that has surfaced.
Second, the family and work conflicts faced by middle-aged women have become more intense.
my country’s female labor participation rate is very high, at 61.1% in 2018, exceeding the international average of 47.4%.
However, the gender division of labor within the family still follows the traditional model of mainly women.
The society's recognition of unpaid family labor is low, but the expectations of women raising offspring and doing housework are high.
The generally high family requirements for raising children and the lack of a supportive environment in society make women face a dilemma when dealing with family and work. If career development is interrupted, human capital will be greatly wasted; some women keep single, postpone marriage and give birth, and have fewer children. Such as other ways to reduce the trade-off, but this may lead to a series of problems such as the increase in infertility rate, the increase in non-marriage and divorce rates, and the continued decline in fertility rates.
In addition, the physical and mental health of elderly women, the main force of caring for children at home, is also facing potential pressure.
Sheng Yinan: Women’s childbearing period and employment period are highly overlapped. Many women choose to leave the labor market or choose jobs that are convenient for family care and flexible working hours to take care of their children. This is manifested in the decline of women’s labor participation rate and employment quality. .
From the perspective of labor demand, childbirth increases the employment costs of female employees. Many women face "maternal punishment" such as recruitment discrimination, reduced wage income, reduced employment stability, and reduced employment quality.
Although in recent years various localities have implemented strengthening regulations on employment discrimination, there are still some "hidden discriminations" in recruitment and promotion.
In order to solve this problem, in the process of gradual adjustment of the maternity policy, my country is implementing policies such as maternity leave extension, spouse maternity leave, and the combination of maternity insurance and medical insurance. However, in terms of actual social needs, there is still the problem of policy absence. Urgently need to be further improved.
Improve inclusive supporting policies to support families "dare to live and support"
●Public concern: Children and children are the future of the country, and it is the consensus of the whole society to actively respond to the aging of the population. How to let more families let go of the worries of “dare not having children” and release more reproductive potential? What are the supporting measures? Hard move, real move?
Ding Zhihong: First of all, we can consider including the costs of assisted reproductive examinations and treatments into the scope of medical insurance on a pro rata basis, so as to solve the birth burden of families with assisted technology.
In addition, it is also possible to expedite the exploration of the establishment of a pregnancy insurance system, to include low-income infertility patients into social security, and effectively guarantee the reproductive rights of each individual.
At the same time, increase the supply of affordable housing and reduce the housing burden of the floating population.
The seventh census showed that the separated population of my country is close to 500 million, and the floating population is 376 million.
Most of these people are in the childbearing age, but housing pressure affects their families' willingness to bear children.
In large cities where population inflows are concentrated, the supply of affordable rental housing and shared property housing can be increased, the long-term rental housing market can be standardized and developed, and the floating population can be effectively relieved of housing pressure.
In terms of education, the government and social forces can rely on the community to provide diversified infant care services.
On this basis, childcare and preschool education will be gradually included in compulsory education, and the supply of infant childcare services will be increased through various welfare measures such as tax subsidies, childcare subsidies, and holiday subsidies.
At the same time, standardized management should be implemented for various counseling and training institutions outside the school, and supervision of fees and education quality should be carried out.
Sheng Yinan: In terms of promoting educational fairness and equalization, the construction of educational trusteeship should be strengthened, and a cost-sharing mechanism and a price ladder mechanism for extracurricular trusteeship should be established.
At the same time, carry out child-friendly taxation and supporting reforms.
For the education expenses of minor children in the family, a progressive tax reduction policy can be implemented based on the order of children.
For families with infants and young children aged 0 to 3, a stepped child care allowance can be set up according to the income level of the family.
In addition, a family-friendly employment policy should be gradually established.
For the wages paid by enterprises and institutions to female employees during childbirth and maternity leave, a certain percentage of deductions are allowed when applying for the prepayment of corporate income tax.
Incorporate female employment discrimination caused by childbirth into legal norms or administrative regulations, and clearly stipulate the types, scope of application, and responsibilities of gender discrimination in employment.
Mao Zhuoyan: The challenge of the three-child policy to women's development cannot be ignored.
However, it cannot be solved by women alone. It needs the strong support of fertility supporting policies, integrate fertility into the design of social mechanisms, policies and environment, create a good atmosphere of respect for fertility, encourage men to actively share parenting responsibilities, and share family fertility to the greatest extent cost.
In terms of specific policy formulation: First, it is to advocate a family culture in which husbands and wives share reproductive responsibilities.
Communities are generally equipped with free equipment and facilities such as children's activity places, and the model of mutual aid and child care in the neighborhood is advocated.
Public places are generally equipped with maternal and child-friendly facilities.
Public opinion should reduce the exaggeration of "fertility anxiety," and deal with bad social customs such as bad marriages and funerals, and sky-high price gifts.
The second is to explore the conversion of maternity leave to paid parental leave.
Maternity insurance gradually expands the coverage of all women of childbearing age, reduces the cost of childbirth borne by enterprises, guarantees the benefits of maternity leave, appropriately relaxes the age limit for women when they are promoted, encourages women to actively participate in employment, and gives priority to the reduction or exemption of personal income tax for working mothers.
The third is to provide high-quality prenatal and postnatal care services around women's pregnancy, pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum recovery.
Improve the level of basic medical and health care services throughout the entire process of childbirth, improve the quality of contraceptive services for people of the right age, and reduce the incidence of infertility.
Liu Guohui: The construction of a new marriage and childbirth culture and family culture is the micro foundation for building a harmonious and happy family and promoting a long-term population balance.
Families play an irreplaceable basic role in the construction of population culture.
Therefore, the construction of marriage and childbearing culture and family culture must be based on the family, inherit and develop the humanistic spirit and ethics contained in the excellent traditional Chinese marriage culture, promote the marriage concept of "we are in the same boat through wind and rain, share responsibilities, share responsibilities, respect and love each other", and attach importance to the family Building and enhancing family development capabilities.
(Reporter Yang Shu)