China's birth rate is decreasing and government efforts to boost it have been ineffective and experts have warned that it is a long-term threat to the country's economy, a media report said.
Experts have pointed out that China's plan to become a rich and powerful country by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, is imperilled. The International Monetary Fund has declared that China's economy is unbalanced and momentum is slowing, its shrinking workforce, declining productivity, the US-China trade war and its decoupling from the international economy are all long-term threats to growth, according to Japan Times.
The ruling of the communist government in the country has resulted in a change in the demographic structure. As China develops, its citizens have better lives and better health care, allowing them to live longer. Families and women are less inclined to have children. There are complaints about the costs of education and housing, the disproportionate burden born by women within the household, as well as the fears that women lose opportunities for advancement when they take maternity leave, according to the Japanese publication.
In 2016 the Chinese government lifted the one Child policy with regard to these issues. In the last summer. They allowed families to have three children. The birth rate has shown a decline, but none of these efforts turned out to be effective.
China's recent crackdown on private education and the rise in housing prices aim to ease the burden on families.
Experts say that China is planning similar actions in the same way as housing subsidies, more generous maternity leave policies, increases in child care centres and changes in income tax policies.