China's demographic issues have been a matter of great concern, and the continued decline in the number of newborn births in recent years has caused widespread discussion. Young people's inability to have children is one of the main reasons for this phenomenon. Factors such as the high cost of marriage, the increasing cost of raising children, and high housing prices have led to a decrease in the willingness of young people to have children. Expert Zheng Bingwen put forward a suggestion to borrow the strength of relatives and friends to overcome fertility difficulties during the childbearing window, but this proposal was criticized by netizens. However, in order to improve the fertility willingness of young people, it is necessary for the joint efforts of society, individuals and other parties, including advocating the simplification of marriage ceremonies, reducing housing prices, and reducing the burden of education and medical care.
The high cost of marriage for young people is one of the main reasons for the decline in fertility intentions. Compared with the past, marriage now requires a high bride price, and various expenses such as wedding ceremonies, wedding cars, and wedding photos are not small. As a result, some young people are reluctant to get married, or are saddled with huge debts in order to get married, making it financially unable to bear the stress of raising children.
In addition, the cost of raising children has also increased with the development of the times. Nowadays, in addition to the basic cost of living, children's education and training also need to invest a lot of energy and financial resources. Early enlightenment education, interest classes, family education, etc. all require a lot of expenses, and even college students have to pay high tuition fees. Statistics show that from the birth of a child to the graduation of college, the average family needs to spend at least 570,000-1 million yuan.
High housing prices are also an obstacle for young people to dare not have children. In China, whether it is a first-tier or second- or third-tier city, the cost of buying a home is quite high. Buying a 90-square-meter commercial house requires at least millions of funds, and the pressure of mortgage repayment cannot be ignored. With such high housing prices, many young people's savings are eaten up by the pressure of buying a home, causing them to be unable to bear the financial burden of raising children, and then choose not to have children or postpone childbearing.
With the development of society, the concept of childbearing has gradually changed, and the values of young people have also changed. They pay more attention to personal freedom, career pursuit and quality of life, and no longer regard childbirth as the only goal of life. They are more inclined to succeed in their careers and enjoy a free life, and have a relatively low desire to have children.
In addition, the enhancement of women's sense of independence is also one of the important factors affecting fertility intention. Modern women have made great progress in education and career, and their economic ability and social status have been improved. However, pursuing a career often requires more time and energy, which makes them face a huge choice between family and career. Some women prefer to give up having children and choose to focus on their careers because they believe that this will lead to more fulfillment and satisfaction.
Faced with the problem of young people's fertility, economist Zheng Bingwen gave a controversial suggestion, that is, young people can borrow the strength of relatives and friends to overcome fertility difficulties. However, this suggestion has attracted strong criticism from netizens.
On the one hand, the reality does not support the feasibility of this proposal. Nowadays, the connection between relatives and friends has greatly decreased compared to the past, and the relationship between each other is not as close as it used to be. Even if you have a wealthy relative, they may help you pay for a few meals, but it's hard to pay for something like helping you get married and have children.
On the other hand, the cost of getting married and raising children is quite high. The cost of a wedding requires at least a few hundred thousand, while raising a child requires a larger capital expenditure. Even if relatives and friends are willing to help, it is difficult to bear such a huge financial burden.
Therefore, although Zheng Bingwen's proposal has certain merits in theory, it seems impractical in practice.
The issue of childbirth has always been a politically sensitive topic, and society has different views and voices on it. Some believe that young people should be encouraged to have children in order to maintain a good demographic structure and demographic dividend. They advocate that more support and preferential policies should be provided to reduce the financial burden on young people, so as to increase their willingness to have children.
However, there are also conservative views that childbearing should not be forced or over-pushed. They believe that childbearing is an individual's right to choose, and that everyone has the right to decide whether to have children according to their own wishes and abilities. Excessive intervention can lead to social problems, such as insufficient resources for education and medical care, and increased competition for jobs.
In fact, improving the fertility willingness of young people is not an overnight thing, and it requires the joint efforts of society and individuals. It is not only necessary to reduce the economic cost of childbirth and the end.
From the current point of view, the decline in the fertility willingness of young people in China is the result of a combination of many factors. Problems such as the high cost of marriage, the increased cost of raising children, and high housing prices limit young people's determination to have children. Solving this problem requires the joint efforts of all parties, including social advocacy to simplify wedding customs, reduce housing prices and provide affordable housing, and reduce the pressure on education and medical care. Only through multifaceted efforts can we increase the willingness of young people to have children and reverse China's fertility rate.