As Beijing pushes for a "new culture of marriage and childbearing" amid record low birth rates, one young woman explains why so many in her generation aren't keen on the nuclear family model that Chinese leaders see as a bedrock for social stability.

Beijing

Beijing is actively promoting a “new culture of marriage and childbearing” in response to the country’s record low birth rates. This initiative reflects the government’s belief in the nuclear family model as a foundational element for societal stability. Despite these efforts, a significant number of young women in China are resisting the push towards this traditional family structure.

One young woman has come forward to articulate the reasons behind this resistance among her generation. Her perspective highlights a disconnect between the government's goals and the personal aspirations or concerns of many young Chinese individuals. This resistance suggests a broader trend of reassessment of traditional values and potentially indicates shifts in societal norms and priorities.



Young women defying Beijing's push for children

No husband and no children, that's the future 28-year-old Chai Wanrou envisions for herself. The freelance copywriter thinks women in China have had to sacrifice too much in marriage. They didn't get that blissful, satisfactory life. Now a lot of women do the math and figure out they won't get great returns. So there's no rush to get married. Her views are shared by a growing number of young women across the country, and it's a headache for the government. The Communist Party views the nuclear family as the bedrock of social stability. Last year, Chinese leaders stressed the need to cultivate a new culture of marriage and childbearing as new births plunged to historic lows and the country's population fell for a second straight year. But between record youth unemployment and an economic downturn, Chai and many in her generation are espousing singleism instead. People feel there's already enough pressure in their own lives and there's no way they can cope with the burden of raising a family and children, so they choose not to have children. After decades of improving women's level of education, workforce participation and social mobility, Chinese authorities now face the challenge of them becoming increasingly resistant to the propaganda. Official data show China's singles aged over 15 hit a record 239 million in 2021. Marriage registrations reached historic lows in 2022, though they rebounded slightly last year after a pandemic backlog. A 2021 survey of some 2,900 unmarried urban young people found that 44% of women have no plans to marry. For now, Chai plans to stay single as she works towards dreams of founding her own educational startup. She suggests Beijing should focus on improving social development. If there is real gender equality, then this could liberate the power of many women, and this power could go into the labor force and into promoting further social development. It could also liberate men from the sort of traditional mindsets and they don't have to live under such enormous family pressures. Chai also says if people can see more hope in the future, then perhaps they'll gain the confidence and motivation to bring children into this world.

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