Chinese province drops restrictions on unmarried people having children in bid to halt plummeting birth rate

Chinese province drops restrictions on unmarried people having children in bid to halt plummeting birth rate 

Chinese province drops restrictions on unmarried people having children in bid to halt plummeting birth rate 

China’s southwestern province of Sichuan will drop restrictions on unmarried people having children, part of a broader attempt by the government to boost the country’s plummeting birth rate.

The policy shift came after China’s population shrank last year for the first time in more than six decades, marking a historic moment in its deepening demographic crisis.

Currently, the Sichuan government only allows married couples to register the births of up to two children. Starting from February 15, all citizens – including unmarried parents – can register with no ceiling on the number of children.

In China, birth registration is often required for parents to access benefits such as maternity insurance. It is also needed to obtain a household registration document, or hukou, that grants children access to social welfare, such as healthcare and education.

The Sichuan provincial health commission said in a statement that by scrapping the restriction on marriage, the new measures shifted the focus of birth registration to “the desire and results of childbearing.”

An official from the Sichuan health commission told local media that the policy was intended to safeguard the rights of single mothers, not to encourage unmarried people to become parents. The commission’s announcement said the policy would promote “long-term and balanced population development.”

Source: CNN News