Fewer Chinese are getting married – last year, the number of registered marriages decreased by a fifth, which in turn is expected to affect the declining birth rates.
To increase the numbers for both marriages and births, the government in Beijing has now made it easier for Chinese people to get married.
A previous law has been abolished, so that couples no longer have to travel to the place where either the bride's or groom's birth certificate is registered to get their marriage approved.
Now it is free to get married where you live, a big difference for many in the large country.
"This reform targets the needs of people who live or work far from their hometowns, especially the young generation," reports the news agency New China.
Furthermore, the state-owned TV channel CCTV reports that the authorities will increase the fight against "certain harmful customs, such as dowry and extravagant wedding expenses".
Dowry in the form of cash to the bride's family is still common in China, and is seen as a way to show respect to the future parents-in-law and as a contribution to the newlywed couple.
The new reforms come after attempts to increase childbearing by promising more money to young parents and expanded childcare.
The one-child policy in China, which began in 1980, was introduced to curb the then rapid population growth in the country. The policy meant that couples who had more than one child often lost social benefits and had to pay fines. An exception has been the minority groups who were allowed to have more children. Later, two children were also tolerated in rural families if the first child was a daughter.
The one-child policy has led to selective abortions due to gender and the murder of small girls, as many couples have preferred sons.
In the early 2000s, it became clear that low birth rates led to an increasing proportion of elderly people in China, while the number of Chinese of working age decreased. The change was predicted to become a major burden on the economy.
In the autumn of 2015, it was announced that couples would be allowed to have two children, and since 2021, it has been allowed to have three children. But the abolition of the one-child policy has not led to an increase in the number of births – in recent years, the birth rate has instead decreased. Among the explanations, according to analysts, is that it has become common to only have one child, combined with high costs associated with having children.
China had over 1.4 billion inhabitants in 2023 and is, after India, the world's second most populous country.
