Government Offers N100k Wedding Palliative For Brides Aged 25 And Below

In an attempt to address China’s declining birth rate, a county in eastern China has introduced a novel incentive: offering wedding couples a “reward” of 1,000 yuan ($137) if the bride is 25 years old or younger.

The measure is the latest step by the country to encourage young people to marry, as concerns about an aging population and decreasing birth rates continue to grow.

The initiative, recently announced on Changshan County’s official WeChat account, aims to promote “age-appropriate marriage and childbearing” for first-time couples. Alongside the cash reward, the county is providing a range of subsidies related to childcare, fertility, and education for couples who decide to have children.

China has witnessed its first population decline in six decades, leading to a pressing need for solutions to address the aging demographic. To counter this trend, government authorities are exploring various strategies, including financial incentives and improved childcare facilities, to boost birth rates.

While China’s legal age limit for marriage stands at 22 for males and 20 for females, the number of couples tying the knot has been decreasing. This is attributed to official policies that impose challenges on single women aspiring to become mothers.

The country recorded a historic low in marriage rates in 2022, with only 6.8 million unions, marking the lowest figure since 1986. Disturbingly, this resulted in 800,000 fewer marriages in 2022 compared to the previous year. Concurrently, China’s fertility rate, already one of the world’s lowest, plummeted to a record low of 1.09 in 2022, according to state media reports leading to this wedding reward.

The reluctance of women to give birth is driven by factors such as the high cost of childcare and the need to pause their careers. Furthermore, concerns about China’s economic health, gender discrimination, and traditional stereotypes emphasizing women’s role in childcare persist, discouraging many young Chinese from embracing marriage and parenthood.

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