China wants more babies; China’s women have other plans
- The Chinese labour force population of people aged between 16-59 has fallen for eight straight years
- Beijing has tinkered with policies to encourage population growth but examining gender balance among core leadership might be a starting point, say observers
China is concerned about population growth and the ageing workforce. But women say there must be major social and economic change rather than policy tweaks to address the demographic problem. This is part of a series of stories on women’s issues in China and Asia to coincide with International Women’s Day.
Among those priorities is building a career and that leads to a delay in marriage and childbirth, or forgoing having a family altogether. And while Beijing uses a heavy hand to curb social activism, it has not slowed a growing feminist movement, with women demanding what women elsewhere want: equality in the workplace and in the household.
Helena Lu, a 26-year-old Beijing native who majored in development studies at universities in China, Hong Kong and Europe, said her attitudes shifted against marriage and childbirth as she grew up and entered the workplace.
