Hohhot Offers 100,000 RMB Subsidy for Third Child—Critics Question Women's Dignity

Photo: On May 12, 2021, a couple walks with their newborn baby in a local park in Beijing, China. ( Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images.)

[People News] On Thursday (March 13), the city of Hohhot in Inner Mongolia announced a new policy offering a subsidy of 100,000 RMB for families having a third child. The news sparked widespread reactions, even causing stocks related to infant care in China to surge. However, experts argue that financial incentives alone will not effectively address the country’s declining birth rate. Meanwhile, women's rights activists question whether using money to encourage childbirth undermines women's dignity. The following is a report by Radio Free Asia journalist Wang Yun.

"Now that there is a population crisis, should women be the ones to bear the burden of childbirth? The responsibility of childbearing should not be placed entirely on women," said Guo Caihong, expressing one of her main concerns about Hohhot's policy—its lack of respect for women. She emphasized, "Women are not childbearing machines." To escape political persecution, Guo and her two children are currently seeking asylum in Germany.

Guo’s criticism stands in stark contrast to the overwhelming praise for Hohhot’s policy on Chinese social media. State media outlets, including China News Service and People’s Daily, have reported this policy as a positive signal for boosting birth rates, while cautiously noting that the actual impact of the subsidies remains to be seen. However, these reports rarely mention women's own desires and the real-life challenges they face in a society that is actively promoting higher birth rates.

Women's Autonomy in Childbearing

Zhang Jing, founder of the non-governmental organization "Women’s Rights in China," expressed her immediate displeasure upon seeing Hohhot’s policy announcement. "This is just packaging money while trampling on women's rights. It implies that money can buy all of women's fundamental rights, whereas the decision to give birth or not should be entirely up to women themselves."

From the 2000s to the mid-2010s, "Women’s Rights in China" carried out extensive work in China to defend women’s political, economic, social, and cultural rights. Zhang herself has dealt with numerous cases where women’s health and personal safety were compromised due to the government's family planning policies.

According to Zhang, the shift from strict birth control to incentivizing childbirth reflects the Chinese Communist Party’s continued control over women’s autonomy. “When the Party needs women to have children, they lure them with money. When they don’t, they use any means necessary to prevent births. The fundamental issue is that women’s rights have never been truly protected,” Zhang said.

Hohhot’s newly announced policy states that, starting March 1, 2025, families who legally give birth will receive 10,000 RMB for their first child, 50,000 RMB for their second, and 100,000 RMB for their third. According to a report by Yicai Global, 23 provinces and cities in China have already introduced pilot programs for birth subsidies, with varying amounts. For instance, Yunnan offers a one-time subsidy of 2,000 RMB for a second child and 5,000 RMB for a third, along with an annual childcare subsidy of 800 RMB until the child reaches three years old.

Meanwhile, at the recently concluded 14th National People’s Congress, National Health Commission Director Lei Haichao stated that the commission is drafting plans to introduce nationwide childcare subsidies.

However, Guo Caihong argues that financial incentives alone offer little appeal. Women making decisions about childbirth face many obstacles, including workplace discrimination. "Chinese women not only have to compete for jobs but also bear the responsibility of caring for their families. Given the unequal economic opportunities between men and women, the pressure on them is immense. Simply handing out money will not effectively convince them to temporarily leave their careers and return home to give birth."

Guo's son and daughter were born in the late 1990s and late 2000s, respectively. Before leaving China, she ran a private clinic in a small town in Henan province. She is well aware of the dual pressures of employment and childbirth that local women face. "Job opportunities for women are very limited—mostly in service industries like early childhood education. Once a woman gives birth, she risks losing her job," she explained. Unlike civil servant positions, which offer greater job security, many women in lower-wage jobs have little employment protection.

A Reuters report on Wednesday (March 12) highlighted that gender discrimination remains prevalent in China’s job market. Women continue to face hiring biases related to marriage and childbirth, which hinder their ability to obtain equal employment opportunities. Recently, trade unions in Hunan, Shenzhen, and other regions have issued notices urging employers to stop asking female job applicants about their marital or childbearing status during recruitment processes.

Three Major Challenges in Addressing Fertility Issues

Yi Fuxian, a medical expert from the University of Wisconsin renowned for his population studies, asserts that while local governments in China are willing to invest in initiatives to boost fertility, numerous challenges remain.

In an interview, Yi expressed skepticism about the financial capabilities of certain local governments, despite their commitments to provide fertility subsidies. "Many regions may not be able to allocate any funds at all, as they are grappling with a debt crisis," he noted. Even if these areas can secure funding, the pressing question is whether families can afford to raise children. "The housing price pressure in China is significantly higher than in the United States and also exceeds that in Japan. In light of such high housing costs, offering a small fertility subsidy is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the overall financial burden on families."

Yi further analyzed that beyond the inability to afford children, there are two additional major issues: a reluctance to have children and challenges in conceiving. "Generations of the one-child policy have ingrained the notion in society that having only one child or choosing not to have children is the norm. China's willingness to have children is even lower than that of South Korea and Japan." He emphasized that this mindset regarding fertility is quite difficult to change.

Furthermore, Yi Fuxian noted that the age of first marriage and first childbirth in China is steadily rising, creating challenges for childbirth. 'By 2020, the age of first marriage and first childbirth in China had reached 28 years. Once the age of first childbirth surpasses 28, it becomes very difficult to raise the fertility rate to 1.5, as this is irreversible and the window for childbirth is limited.' He further explained that women's fertility declines significantly as they near 30, with many only able to have one child. Similarly, fertility rates in South Korea, Japan, and other areas are also low, largely due to the trend of late marriage and late childbirth.

(Adapted from Radio Free Asia)