China gets invasive as its pushes women to have babies

As birthrate falls, China makes big push to encourage women to get married, have children

What you probably already know: China is struggling with one of the lowest birthrates in the world, an issue that could bring a real threat to the country’s economy. Without more workers to replace those who are retiring, it could be extremely difficult for the country to keep up. China’s one-child policy, which was implemented in the 1970s and ended in 2016, resulted in far fewer children and particularly girls, and was incredibly traumatic. Enforcement was brutal and included kidnapping and forcing women to have late-term abortions, and even reports that babies born alive were murdered. Now, though, the country is trying to rapidly reverse this policy, and somewhat unsurprisingly, is struggling to do so.

Why? Xi Jinping, China’s president, has begun a campaign to encourage women to get married and have children, while simultaneously cracking down on feminist activism in the country. The new policies are becoming increasingly more invasive, including neighborhood officials calling women up to ask about their menstrual cycle and demanding photos of new babies for their files. The New York Times did an investigation into these new practices and reported that of the 10 women they spoke to, seven said they had been asked by officials if they were planning to become pregnant.

What it means: While deciding to have children is a deeply personal decision for many couples, the Chinese government has been pushing to make it more of a political decision. A government-run family planning association in northern China called the idea of marriage and childbirth being private matters “wrong and one-sided.” Even artwork installed throughout major cities is encouraging people to have children. One of the challenges, though, is one that many people with children will understand: They’re expensive and it can be challenging to balance a career and a family.

What happens now? The Chinese government has indicated that it would like to reduce what it calls “medically unnecessary abortions” which has many in the country worried that the government could soon add restrictions on the procedure. However, China does provide support, including cash bonuses for married women who have babies, and extra months of maternity leave for those who have more than one child. Some regions have even created parenting breaks for married couples with children.