Economic Factors Played a Significant Role in China’s Low Marriage Rates, Said 62.38%

Recent data showed that marriage rates in China are dropping despite government policies to promote marriage. Figures showed that the number of marriages fell from 13.5 million couples in 2013 to 6.8 million in 2022.

The idea of getting married is changing in China’s culture amid high divorce rates, a weaker economy, and the incompatibility of marriage in modern lives. 26-year-old Yu Zhang from Shanghai shared in an interview that he and his girlfriend often talked about marriage, but the thought “makes us more stressed than happy.”

The Chinese government is panicking over the data, and a county in China’s Zhejiang Province announced that it would offer monetary rewards for newlyweds if the bride was 25 years old or younger.

A survey on China’s dropping marriage rate on the online survey app Real Research revealed various opinions on the matter. Many people debated reasons and impacts; let’s see what the survey explored.

Highlights

• 62.38% stated that economic factors played a very significant role in the decline of marriage rates in China.
• The Chinese government offers money for couples to get married, a proposal that 43.24% believed would tempt young couples to get married.
• 70.93% thought that China’s recent economic downturn had contributed to the lack of interest in marriage.

Are Marriage Rates Declining?

The Ministry of Civil Affairs of China reported that the number of marriages in China last year dropped to 6.83 million, the lowest figure since records began in 1986. This huge decrease was completely known to 41.46%. 40.92% were somewhat familiar with it, while 17.62% weren’t aware of it at all.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs showed that the number of couples getting married in China in 2022 fell by about 800,000 compared to the year before. The declining marriage rates in China were attributed to economic factors playing a very significant role, according to 62.38%. 28.98% thought the economic factors played a major role, 5.41% claimed they played a minor role, and 3.23% didn’t believe the economic factors played a mentionable role.

China’s National Health Commission stated other reasons behind the decline in marriage rates in China. The commission mentioned COVID-19, education costs, and child-rearing expenses. 48.14% shared the same view and claimed that education costs and child-rearing expenses led to a decline in marriage. 38.12% somewhat agreed to this, 9.73% somewhat disagreed, and 4.01% completely disagreed.

While the economic and political scene changed in China in the last few years, many claimed that the “cultural norms have not changed as quickly.” Both men and women are expected to work hard outside the family, and women are expected to be good mothers and wives too.

Yuan Xu, x, shared, “When I hear from family and government people that I should keep in mind to marry at the right age and become a good wife and a good daughter-in-law, I get very stressed.” She added that she “can’t do it all.”

To help solve this problem, economists proposed cutting two years from China’s school system to give women more time to start families, potentially boosting the country’s fertility rate by up to 30%. This proposal received the support of 52.91% and the opposition of 47.09%.

Government’s Efforts

Since 2016, China has canceled its one-child policy and has promoted having up to three children, with local governments offering incentives like free IVF and subsidies for additional offspring. These government incentives will absolutely encourage young couples to get married, according to 49.84%. The rest of the opinions varied, with some saying probably (34.57%), probably not (11.84%), and absolutely not (3.75%).

The Chinese government is even offering money for couples to get married. China is offering a 1,000 yuan ($137) “reward” for couples where the bride is 25 or younger, in a bid to boost marriage rates amidst the growing birth rate crisis.

43.24% claimed that this monetary reward would somewhat likely tempt young women to contemplate marriage, and 34.33% expressed a strong probability. On the other hand, 15.18% stated that it was somewhat unlikely that young women would be tempted, and 7.25% thought it was highly unlikely.

Marriages in China Dropped to Record Low, What’s the Reason?

China’s economy took a hard hit after the COVID-19 pandemic, and currently, Chinese youth are facing high unemployment and suffering deeply from the economic crisis. 70.93% thought that China’s recent economic downturn has contributed to the lack of interest in marriage among young people, while the other 29.07% were opposed.

China implemented the “one child” policy in 1979 in an effort to control the rapid population growth. However, this policy was very successful, and China is now suffering from an aging population. Statistics showed that the population over 60 years of age will rise to 32 percent in 2040.

With China’s aging population, there are fewer eligible individuals for marriage and starting families each year. 85.45% are concerned about the impact of China’s aging population on marriage and family formation, 45.51% are somewhat concerned, and 39.94% are extremely concerned. On the contrary, 10.02% showed little concern, and 4.53% didn’t express any concern at all.