In recent years, the number of newborns in China has continued to decline, which has aroused widespread concern. According to statistics, from 17.65 million in 2017 to 12.33 million in 2019, and then to 9.56 million in 2022, the number of newborn births has shown a significant downward trend. In this regard, all walks of life have ** among the reasons, one of the main reasons is that young people cannot afford to have children.
First of all, the cost of marriage for young people is too high. Today's young people are required to pay a bride price when they get married as a sign of the man's respect for the woman's family. On average, the amount of the wedding bride price is about 200,000-300,000 yuan. In addition, the expenses such as banquets, wedding cars, wedding photos and honeymoon trips required for weddings often cost hundreds of thousands of yuan. Many young people are unwilling or unable to afford marriage because the cost of marriage is too high, so they choose not to get married or postpone marriage, and cannot have enough financial strength to raise children.
Secondly, the cost of raising children is also getting higher. Nowadays, the burden of raising children is not only the basic food and clothing, but also the expenses of various education and upbringing. Children need to sign up for various interest classes when they go to kindergarten, ask tutors for tutoring when they go to primary and secondary schools, and even spend tens of thousands of yuan on college tuition every year. According to statistics, from the birth of a child to the graduation of college, an average family will spend at least 570,000 yuan to 1 million yuan. As a result, many families face excessive financial pressure even if they have children, and cannot provide better education and nurturing conditions, which makes young people hesitate and confused about childbearing.
In addition, high housing prices have also become an important factor in young people's low fertility intentions. Nowadays, whether it is a first-tier city or a second- or third-tier city, housing prices remain high, which discourages young people. To buy a 90-square-meter commercial house in second- and third-tier cities, it needs at least 1.5 million yuan, and in first-tier cities, it needs to reach more than 6 million yuan. In the face of such high housing prices, many young people either choose not to get married, or use up all their savings and still struggle to buy a house, and the pressure of monthly loan repayment is heavy, and the remaining disposable income is simply not enough to support the basic living expenses. Under such circumstances, young people are naturally reluctant to bear the financial pressure of childbearing.
Faced with the practical dilemma of young people "can't afford to have children and can't afford to raise", economist Zheng Bingwen put forward some suggestions, he believes that young people need to seize the short window of time to give birth and borrow the power of relatives and friends to overcome fertility difficulties. However, this suggestion was not recognized by netizens, and on the contrary, it sparked a wave of criticism. Many netizens believe that such a suggestion is simply unrealistic, and many people are worried that having children will cause a huge burden to relatives and friends.
But in fact, although Zheng Bingwen mentioned the key window of young people's childbearing period, the suggestion of relying on relatives and friends to solve the fertility dilemma is really unrealistic. On the one hand, social relations are not as close as they used to be, and even if you have wealthy relatives, they may be willing to treat you to a few meals, but it is almost impossible to pay for you to get married and have children. On the other hand, the cost of a wedding is at least hundreds of thousands of yuan, and the cost of raising a child is at least hundreds of thousands of yuan.
To improve young people's fertility intentions, we need the joint efforts of society, ** and individuals. First of all, the society should advocate that the bride price should not be compared, and the cost of marriage should be simplified. The excessively high cost of marriage has caused a lot of pressure on young people's willingness to have children, so the society should form a thrifty and pragmatic atmosphere and establish an affordable marriage model, so as to reduce the burden of young people getting married.
Second, we should make every effort to reduce high housing prices and provide more affordable housing. Nowadays, high housing prices have become one of the biggest burdens for young people, and real estate regulation should be strengthened to make young people affordable and comfortable. At the same time, more policies should be introduced to encourage young people to buy houses and have children, such as tax incentives, low-interest loans, etc., so that housing problems are no longer an obstacle to their children.
In addition, it should also reduce the pressure on parents to spend on education, health care, etc. Cracking down on school district housing has enabled students to access educational resources in a fair environment and reduced the financial burden on parents. In addition, the health care system should also be improved, so that parents no longer have to worry about spending all their savings to see a doctor.
Finally, on the personal side, young people should also be clear about their life plans and development goals, and be prepared to meet the challenges of childbearing if their financial means allow. At the same time, they should also fully understand the policies and benefits before childbirth, improve their information literacy and life ability, and make both psychological and economic preparations.
At present, the main reason for the continuous decline in the number of newborn births in China is that young people cannot afford to have children. The high cost of marriage for young people, including bride price and wedding expenses, makes many young people reluctant to marry or unable to get married. Raising children also faces high costs, including expenses on education and training. In addition, high housing prices have also become one of the important reasons for young people's low fertility intentions. In the face of this situation, to improve the fertility willingness of young people, it is necessary to work together with society, ** and individuals. The society should promote the concept of frugality and simplify the cost of marriage;** High housing prices should be reduced and more affordable housing should be providedAt the same time, it will reduce the pressure on parents to spend on education, medical care, etc. Young people should also be clear about their life plans and development goals, and be prepared to meet the challenges of childbirth. Only through various efforts can we increase the fertility willingness of young people and promote the development of China's population.