Major shift seen amid drop in marriage rates

A young couple poses for a photo at a marriage registration office of the Civil Affairs Bureau in Dongxing district of Neijiang city, Southwest China's Sichuan province, Feb 14, 2023. [Photo by Li Jianming/For China Daily]

China has witnessed a significant decline in marriage rates as 3.43 million couples tied the knot in the first half of this year, a 12.7 percent drop from the previous year, setting a record low, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The trend, attributed to various factors including economic pressures and changing societal norms, reflects a broader shift in marriage patterns across the country, experts said, calling for more conditions to be created and more support provided for young people to get married.

The statistics released by the ministry late last week showed that more than 1.46 million couples registered for marriage in the second quarter of this year, marking a decrease of 34.8 percent compared with the first quarter.

Zhou Haiwang, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Urban and Population Development, said, "The number of people born 20 to 30 years ago was relatively small, which is the most direct reason for the current decline in the number of marriages."

According to the seventh national census, the post-1980, post-1990, and post-2000 generations in China are 215 million, 178 million, and 155 million, respectively, which has also led to a decrease in the number of people of marriageable age.

Data indicates that marriage numbers in China have been declining annually since 2014, falling below 10 million in 2019 and dropping below 7 million in 2022. While there was a slight increase last year, the downward trend continues.

Yao Yang, a distinguished professor at Peking University, believes that the decline in marriage and birth rates in East Asian societies, where women are usually expected to take on the majority of child care and educational responsibilities, is related to rapid economic development in recent years.

Against the backdrop of a better education and higher incomes, women in East Asian countries, including China, are increasingly pursuing a higher quality of life and career development. In this context, the time and energy required for marriage and childbirth become particularly prominent, he said during an interview with ifeng.com.

This not only increases the burden on women after marriage, but also raises their concerns about their future life. Along with the improvement of living standards, this has led women to adopt a more cautious attitude toward marriage and childbirth, Yao added.

According to a survey conducted among unmarried working professionals by recruitment portal zhilian.com in 2021, more than 43 percent of the female respondents said they chose not to get married because of "concerns about reducing their quality of life", while about 54 percent of male respondents chose "limited financial conditions" as the primary reason.

Zhou agreed that socioeconomic factors play a crucial role in young people's decision on whether to get married.

"If young people feel that employment and career stability are not guaranteed, and their income expectations are not optimistic, some will choose to postpone relationships and marriage, and will only consider marriage after meeting certain conditions," he said.

Census data showed that from 2010 to 2020, the average age at which men in China got married increased from 25.75 to 29.38, and for women, it increased from 24 to 27.95.

To address this issue, during the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which concluded last month, it was proposed to improve the support and service system for population development, with a key aspect being the establishment of a fertility support system to support high-quality population development.

Li Ting, a professor at the School of Population and Health at Renmin University of China, emphasized in a recent article that the decline in marriage rates will have a significant impact on fertility rates.

Li suggested that attention should be paid to the changing trends in marriage and divorce rates, and certain subsidies and incentives should be provided for marriage and dating.

Additionally, efforts should be made to expand and enrich dating services and platforms for young people, create a more relaxed work environment for young people, and provide more secure housing and job markets for young people entering marriage, she said.