In recent years, the number of newborn births in China has been declining, and one of the important reasons is that young people cannot afford to have children. In retrospect, marriage was a matter of course for young people, but nowadays, young people are faced with the problem of the high cost of marriage. Getting married not only has to pay a high bride price, but also needs to bear the wedding expenses, the burden of buying a house, etc. In recent years, the amount of bride price is generally between 20-300,000 yuan, and the cost of a wedding is staggeringly high. In addition, China's housing prices remain high, which makes many young people sigh and sigh and be anxious about marriage.
1. The bride price continues to rise, making young people hesitate
Bride price refers to a sum of money paid by the man to the woman's family as a sign of respect and gratitude to the woman. However, the amount of bride price money is rising, putting enormous pressure on young people. The bride price alone can cost hundreds of thousands of yuan, which is an astronomical amount for many young people. This leaves many young people struggling with whether they should go into debt in order to get married.
2. The pressure of taking wedding photos and holding a wedding
In addition to the bride price, young people also need to face the pressure of wedding photos and wedding costs. Wedding photos are a part that every couple has to go through, and taking a set of high-quality wedding photos often costs tens of thousands of yuan. The cost of the wedding is a huge expense, including banquets, wedding car rentals, emcees and other expenses, which can easily exceed hundreds of thousands of yuan. For the average young person, these expenses are undoubtedly a huge burden.
3. A catalyst for housing prices
China's high housing prices are also a significant factor in why young people cannot afford to have children. Buying a suitable home in a second- and third-tier city can cost hundreds of thousands of yuan, and in first-tier cities, it can be as high as millions of yuan. Faced with such high housing prices, many young people either choose not to get married, or choose to marry and simply cannot afford to raise children. They have to spend most of their income to pay off their mortgages, their standard of living cannot be improved, and they simply cannot afford to raise their children.
In addition to the high cost of marriage, raising children is also becoming a growing concern for young people. Nowadays, raising children is far more than just getting children to eat and dress well, but also requires a lot of energy and financial resources to be educated and cultivated.
1. The cost of attending kindergarten and interest classes
In modern society, going to kindergarten and attending various interest classes has become the standard for most children. However, the cost of these additional education costs is prohibitive for many young people. Signing up for some popular kindergartens requires a sky-high fee, and participating in various interest classes requires a lot of investment. For young people with limited incomes, the cost of raising children is getting higher and higher, making it a little difficult for them to afford.
2. The pressure of family education
As their children attend primary and secondary schools, parents have to face more educational pressures. In order for their children to achieve better grades, many parents have hired tutors to provide additional tutoring for their children. However, the cost of tutoring is also expensive, and the cost of attending various training classes for children makes parents fall into an endless overhead.
3. The economic pressure of higher education
For the average family, a child's higher education is a huge expense, both at home and abroad. Various expenses such as tuition, accommodation, and living expenses add up, which is prohibitive for many families. According to statistics, from the birth of a child to the graduation of college, an ordinary family will spend at least 570,000 yuan to 1 million yuan, which is undoubtedly a huge burden for ordinary families.
Faced with the problem that young people cannot afford to have children, economist Zheng Bingwen put forward a suggestion to use the strength of relatives and friends to overcome fertility difficulties. However, this suggestion has aroused dissatisfaction and questions among netizens. They believe that young people have limited youth, so how can they expect relatives and friends to help solve the problem of childbearing?Friends and family may be able to help, but it's unrealistic to expect them to cover the huge costs of getting married and raising children.
1. The relationship between relatives and friends is not as good as before
Compared to the past, the relationship between relatives and friends is far less than it used to be. Changes in society have led to the estrangement of interpersonal relationships, and many relatives and friends have become more and more indifferent to each other. Even if you have a wealthy relative, they may be able to help you with some of your daily expenses, but it can be difficult to get substantial help with counting on them to cover your costs of getting married and raising children.
2. The cost of getting married and raising children is huge
The cost of getting married and raising children is already a huge burden in modern society. Even wealthy relatives and friends may not have the financial means to cover these expenses. It takes at least hundreds of thousands of yuan to get married once, and the cost of raising a child is even more hundreds of thousands of yuan. It is difficult to rely on relatives and friends to solve such a huge amount of money, and even if relatives and friends are willing to help, they may not have the financial strength.
3. A short window of growth period
Zheng Bingwen mentioned the fleeting window of childbearing, which is true. Young people's fertility is limited in time, and it is difficult to have children after this age. So, for young people who want to have children, it is indeed necessary to seize this brief opportunity. However, this does not solve the actual problem of them not being able to have children.
To sum up, the problem of young people not being able to have children is complex, involving many aspects such as the high cost of marriage and the rising cost of raising children. It is unrealistic to rely solely on the strength of relatives and friends to solve fertility difficulties. To improve the fertility willingness of young people, it is necessary to make efforts from society, ** and individuals to reduce the cost of marriage and raising children, and create a better fertility environment for young people. It is only through joint efforts that a reversal in China's fertility rate can be achieved.