7am Giving birth as a national duty
Dec 11, 2025
Daria Impiombato, a senior analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, dives into the implications of China's drastic reproductive policies. She discusses how the Communist Party is pushing childbirth as a national duty amidst an ageing population and declining birth rates. Daria highlights the problematic legacy of the one-child policy, rising costs of living, and new measures like taxing contraception. The push for higher birth rates risks women's autonomy and raises concerns about public trust in the government's ability to address deeper societal issues.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Population Shrinking Threatens Growth
- China's population is not only ageing but also shrinking, threatening long-term economic growth.
- Daria Impiomabato warns this demographic shift undermines workforce size and national ambitions.
Policy And Economics Reshape Family Choices
- Decades of coercive one-child policies and modern economic pressures shaped current family choices.
- Young, educated urban women delay or avoid marriage and children due to cost and career concerns.
Mass Weddings Won't Change Minds
- State-backed marriage drives like mass weddings target affordability but appeal mainly to those already inclined to wed.
- Daria Impiomabato doubts such campaigns will convince people uninterested in marriage.