China's push for more babies as demographic crisis deepens lacks real incentives, analysts say
China's push for more babies as demographic crisis deepens lacks real incentives, analysts say
China's efforts to bolster the birth rate have yet to address the core reasons for their rapid decline, analysts said.
Pay women a decent wage per child, like a good part of the average wage per child until the child turns 18. That'll be a clear incentive to get children. Everything else is just ineffective tinkering. In a classic rural setting children were a labor force. In a modern urban setting they're a very expensive hobby with lots of unpaid labor. In a quid pro quo world, pay up. Children are not free. If that's not possible then a growing population is not economically viable in the current system. Better luck in the next system.
Some regimes have tried to force the issue, banning all abortions and contraceptives. The end result was a population that was shrinking more slowly and orphanages overflowing because children were dumped as people didn't have enough money to support them.
South Korea, Japan, Germany, and many other countries "grappling" with decreasing birth-rates have to consider paying parents for children. They are a full-time job.
I do believe however that it should be tied to performance. The worse you do in raising your child, the more the state inserts itself into raising the child. All parents should have to take mandatory classes on child-rearing e.g what is good food for a child, importance of vaccines, how much sleep does a child normally need, how to recognize developmental problems (speech impediments, physical problems, ...), and so on. Basically, pressing a phone into the hands of your child and letting them watch youtube all day probably isn't good for them, neither is feeding them burgers and smoking around them.
South Korea, Japan, Germany, and many other countries "grappling" with decreasing birth-rates have to consider paying parents for children. They are a full-time job.
"Kindergeld" has been a thing in Germany since a very long time, and it's per child. Does it pay like a full job? No... but parents do get paid.
First the pandas now the people. Why don't things from China fuck
This is largely the same in most developed nations.
There may be some policy decisions making things especially problematic in this case.
All these solutions (tax breaks, etc.) don't appear to fix the more fundamental problem of it is too expensive to have a kid, work / life balance does not allow it and homes are too expensive.