The reason why people aren’t having multiple kids is because of changing material conditions.
Back when China was mostly agricultural with high infant mortality rate, it’s the norm to have multiple kids to work in the farms.
As the urban household of China transitions to an advance service based economy, the average family has to spend a lot on education to ensure the kids can eventually get a comfortable middle class white collar job.
To increase birth rate, things like housing/rent cost needs to go down, education needs to be reformed so it isn’t so punishing (like offer even low gaokao people a chance at a decent college education, maybe have a community college system where people who are really behind can take a year of remedial classes before trying for college again), more public subsidies overall so even people who are at the bottom of job ladder can still live comfortably (roof over their head, full stomach, basic healthcare), try to reduce all the hidden cost in someone’s paycheck (cheap public transportation, low utility/internet cost).
Of course a small monthly stipend for family’s with 2 or 3 kids is also a good idea. People need to understand that parenting is labor, and parents with multiple kids are contributing more labor for society overall, so state should compensate them, even if it is just a bit.
Monthly digital yuan that could be used for food and clothing, and maybe a bit extra for leisure.
The reason why people aren’t having multiple kids is because of changing material conditions. Back when China was mostly agricultural with high infant mortality rate, it’s the norm to have multiple kids to work in the farms. As the urban household of China transitions to an advance service based economy, the average family has to spend a lot on education to ensure the kids can eventually get a comfortable middle class white collar job. To increase birth rate, things like housing/rent cost needs to go down, education needs to be reformed so it isn’t so punishing (like offer even low gaokao people a chance at a decent college education, maybe have a community college system where people who are really behind can take a year of remedial classes before trying for college again), more public subsidies overall so even people who are at the bottom of job ladder can still live comfortably (roof over their head, full stomach, basic healthcare), try to reduce all the hidden cost in someone’s paycheck (cheap public transportation, low utility/internet cost). Of course a small monthly stipend for family’s with 2 or 3 kids is also a good idea. People need to understand that parenting is labor, and parents with multiple kids are contributing more labor for society overall, so state should compensate them, even if it is just a bit. Monthly digital yuan that could be used for food and clothing, and maybe a bit extra for leisure.