Sichuan Province in China Encourages Extended Marriage and Maternity Leave to Address Declining Birth Rates

Sichuan province in China is suggesting extending maternity and marriage leave in an effort to increase birth rates in the face of the country’s continuing demographic loss.

In an effort to promote a “fertility-friendly society” and counteract the country’s falling birth rates, health officials in the southwest Chinese province of Sichuan have suggested significant reforms to the country’s marriage and parental leave laws.

The proposed measures, which were released by the Health Commission of Sichuan, call for increasing maternity leave from 60 days to 150 days and marriage leave to 25 days, which is five times the present amount of five days. Additionally, paternity leave would be extended from 20 to 30 days in order to promote shared parenting duties. The public has been given till May 30 to June 30 to provide input on the idea.

Concern over China’s demographic trend is mounting, which is why the move was made. For the third year in a row, the population of the nation declined in 2024, and experts caution that the decline may pick up speed in the years to come, endangering the long-term stability of the second-largest economy in the world.

With a population of 84 million, more than the populations of nations like Germany or the United Kingdom, Sichuan has emerged as one of China’s most progressive provinces in terms of family law. In the past, it gave single people access to IVF treatment and several advantages that were previously only available to married couples.

Low birth rates have been a problem for China ever since its long-standing one-child policy ended in 2015. Many young Chinese people have been deterred from getting married and raising families by obstacles such the rising cost of living, the high expense of childcare and education, uncertainty in their jobs, and changing social norms.

The federal government responded in 2024 by enacting a number of “fertility-friendly” laws. In order to encourage healthy views toward relationships and family life, these include proposals for universities to include “love education” into their curricula and campaigns to normalize marriage and childbearing at the “right age.”

Social data shows enduring difficulties in spite of these attempts. Over 2.6 million divorces were filed in 2023, a 1.1% rise from the year before, indicating an increasing cultural reluctance to commit to long-term unions.

There is increasing pressure on China to stop the population drop as around 300 million individuals are expected to reach retirement age in the next ten years. The nation’s urgent efforts to confront this impending demographic issue have taken another step with Sichuan’s most recent proposal.