February 26 2024- China is encouraging increased childbirth to address a demographic crisis, but the abandonment of the one-child policy hasn’t led to a baby boom. Business Insider interviewed three Chinese women, including 26-year-old Bihan Chen, who views having children as a “bad investment” with no guaranteed return for at least 18 years. Demographic trends in China indicate a decline in marriages, with the number hitting a new low in 2022. Furthermore, for those who do marry, many are opting not to have children, contributing to falling birth rates and a shrinking population in 2022 and 2023, the first decline since the early 1960s.
