Apart from the proposal to let couples decide the number of children, what should be done to increase the birth rate?

Can letting couples decide how many children they want to have reverse the decline in fertility and gender imbalance?

The trend of having one child will be a burden on the population in the future - Illustration: AI

As reported by Tuoi Tre Online , the Ministry of Health has just submitted a document to the Government proposing to develop a Population Law, which allows couples and individuals to decide when to give birth, the number of children, and the interval between births.

Necessary steps

Allowing couples and individuals to decide on the number of children, the spacing between births, or allowing female workers to extend their maternity leave to 7 months when giving birth to a second child... are important steps to achieve the goal of maintaining replacement fertility and reducing gender imbalance at birth.

In recent years, declining fertility rates and gender imbalance at birth have become major challenges to our country's population policy.

Statistics show that the national fertility rate is falling below the replacement level, from 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to 1.91 children per woman in 2024.

At the same time, the sex ratio at birth remains high, leading to the risk of serious imbalance in the near future.

Without timely intervention, it is predicted that by 2054 the population will begin to experience negative growth. This will have serious consequences, from a decline in the workforce to a burden on social security.

In response, in addition to the proposed birth promotion policies mentioned above, the Ministry of Health also proposed supporting women who have two children in industrial zones and localities with low birth rates to rent or buy social housing...

It can be said that the proposals represent a breakthrough in population policy compared to the past, when Vietnam applied measures to limit births to control population.

However, an important question is whether these incentive policies are enough to reverse the trend of declining fertility?

In reality, pro-natal measures cannot stop at extending maternity leave or providing housing support.

The most important key to increasing fertility is to create a family-friendly environment in which the decision to have, care for and raise children becomes an economically and socially viable option for every couple.

Countries such as France and Sweden have succeeded in maintaining stable fertility levels by providing strong financial support policies, including child benefits, tax incentives, and free or low-cost public health and education systems.

Support policies that target current lifestyle incentives would be attractive enough to change people's decision to have children.

Removing barriers for groups with the potential to have many children

Another point of concern is that good fertility promotion policies not only help maintain replacement fertility levels but can also contribute to reducing sex imbalances at birth.

When the number of children is limited to a low level, many families tend to prioritize having boys first, leading to gender selection of the fetus.

Conversely, if fertility rates are raised, the pressure to have a son at first birth will be reduced, helping to naturally increase the proportion of girls born.

To be optimal, fertility policies should be designed to motivate families to have more children without placing too much emphasis on gender.

This could include measures such as special financial incentives for families with three or more children, or even increased policies that encourage families with only girls, including financial support.

If we encourage childbearing but put barriers on groups that are likely to have many children, we may inadvertently reduce the effectiveness of the birth promotion policy.

A more sensible approach would be to completely remove child-limiting regulations and focus instead on ensuring quality education and childcare.

Localities with low birth rates can pilot more flexible policies before expanding them nationwide.

Not only stopping at supporting women to have two children, but also need to move towards encouraging having three or more children for families with stable economic conditions.

Create a family-friendly environment by providing financial support, child benefits, income tax reductions for large families, and improving education and health care systems.

Promote gender equality propaganda to change perceptions about the role of daughters in the family, thereby reducing the situation of fetal sex selection.

In other words, the latest proposal from the Ministry of Health suggests that population policy needs to be changed in a flexible, practical direction and not be bound by regulations that are no longer appropriate.

Otherwise, Vietnam will face a serious population crisis. This is not only a problem of quantity, but also a problem of human resource quality and sustainable development of the country.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ngoai-de-xuat-cho-vo-chong-tu-quyet-dinh-so-con-can-lam-gi-de-tang-muc-sinh-20250131112027004.htm