Why younger Chinese are saying ‘I don’t’ to marriage

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China is facing a marriage crisis. The number of new marriages registered with the government fell 16.6 per cent between January and September 2024, compared with the same period in the previous year. With China already dealing with an ageing population and a stark gender imbalance, rising reluctance among Chinese youth regarding marriage and starting a family has added pressure to a growing demographic concern. But why are Chinese youth so disinterested in getting married and starting a family? And what, if anything, can be done to change their minds?

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[cestchou]

My company started worrying once one of my female colleagues got married because they were worried that she’ll have babies and can “enjoy” PTO that labor laws offer. If the society don’t change this mindset, less women will want to have children.

[llCoupDEtatll]

Its a shock to me how the wedding industries are really so surprised by declining rates of large extravagent weddings. For decades they have been overcharging for everything, making money hand over fist, and now that people are fed up and do not want lifelong debt in exchange for a single day the wedding industry is acting like they have it so hard. Not to even mention the state of the worlds economy and wages.

[夜神月-ph]

The one child policy in the 80s and 90s has killed alot of female infants in rural areas. Most of these families who killed females and kept trying for a male child are less educated and live in rural areas. Hence in a dating environment that is more competitive, these are the same bachelors who can't get brides.

[lightschen]

I love how every news source around the world is refusing to say it’s because we’re being price-gouged out of existence.

[Marshi]

10:12 Awarding $275 for a having CHILD is a joke 😭 Like yeah that’ll cover costs for like maybe a few weeks (if even) and then you have 18 years of stress, financial drain, etc.

[---ivgj]

5:16 You failed to mention how 330k yuan is like 5x the average annual income, making it ridiculously unaffordable. you'd have to be living frugally and saving for 10 years or have a wedding then carry crippling debt for years

[senselessplace]

It is interesting to watch every developed nation have the same issue. The greedy people in power want more 'people' yet still failing to care about the happiness of the people at all. It is not going to be fixed any time soon, it is just the way things have to go for a while.

[gidgetrose]

Here’s the thing the woman is supposed to also work full time birth a child to care for plus because of the one child policy her parents are now hers to care for in their old age plus the husbands parents as there are no other siblings to care for them. Why should she marry and take on such a burden??

[SuperDoggykong]

pretty sure this isn't only a china problem. the younger generation has not interest in marriage because of inflation. it's TOO EXPENSIVE to get married and nurture children.

[kereuee]

None of these videos, whether it be about Japan or South Korea, mention the reason women don’t want to be married is because they’re expected to do work full time and take care of household duties and childcare. Why won’t they discuss the gender domestic inequity?

[harrycallahan]

Enjoy your life, and be happy. Its a personal choice.
Marriage is not essential for happiness.

[ausravelo]

Married woman: goes to work, goes food shopping, takes care of children, cooks, washes, works in the garden if lives in a rural area, takes care of her parents and husband's parents.
Married man: goes to work.
Yeah, really strange why women stay single.

[MeAndMyPc]

“If you don’t get married, when you grow old and sick, there will be no one to take care of you.”
How about not getting kids for the sole reason that they provide for you once they grow up? Save that money and hire a caretaker, auntie. Your kids are not your slaves. 🙄

[Jurrian]

Marrying and raising a family is too expensive !!

[tetsuoshima]

It's worldwide, this is the results of thew new gilded age where 90% of regular people struggle to survive, how does one find love, marriage and raise kids in this dystopia?

[passerbeta]

easy for you to say get married and start a family when you're not the one paying them bills with a stagnant salary and prices that just kept going up 🤣

[pedrofreire]

There's a very simple solution: increase wages, lower work hours. Where would the money come from? Billionaires.

[StrtsPhrE]

Without first solving your own economical issue amongst your people, don't even bother trying to demand your people to do something that will further burden their lives.

[friedsoybean]

"...government officials have started calling women to ask whether they are pregnant yet" I understand falling birthrate is a serious issue but all they do is keep pressuring women to breed like it's a baby farm or something 🤦

[eliotgarfield]

If they're working 6 days a week for so many hours, they'll never have time to know themselves and get to really know someone that fits w their lifestyle