Item from the Smart
Marriages Archive, reproduced in the Divorce Statistics
Collection
November 13, 1998
Thursday November 5 1998
Benefits of later marriage stressed
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE An extensive campaign has been launched to promote
later marriages and parenthood well
ahead of an anticipated fourth baby boom at the end of the next decade,
Xinhua reported yesterday.
Another peak period of rapid birth increases was expected between 2009 and
2014 due to the population structure, said
Yang Kuifu, vice-minister of the State Family Planning Commission.
"China will witness over 20 million births annually during the period
even if the fertility rate of Chinese women is strictly
controlled at two children," Mr Yang said.
"Therefore, controlling population growth will be at the top of the
agenda for a long time to come."
The goal of the campaign was to promote new concepts of marriage and fertility
which were beneficial to the family
planning policy, he said. It would be carried out throughout the country.
"The new concepts include: later marriage and later births; healthier
births and nurturing; girls are just as good as boys, and
men also bear responsibility for family planning," he said.
Rural dwellers in particular hold to traditional beliefs that more children
mean more happiness and only male children will
carry on the family line.
Surveys show a slight imbalance in birth rates of male and female children
in recent years, indicating the continuing general
tendency to favour boys.
Mr Yang said both intensive and extensive publicity would be required to
erase old concepts and help sustain a low and
balanced birth rate.
Six villages in Henan province have been selected to promote the new concepts
of marriage and fertility.
The population of 1.2 billion is expected to hit 1.3 billion in 2000 and
continue to climb to 1.6 billion by the middle of the
next century, before beginning to decline.
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