This is the second in a series on how a tumultuous first half of 2023 featured economic pitfalls and headwinds that have left China struggling to shake off years of Covid-induced rust.
When Zhang Chengying first told her parents that she and her husband would not be having children, the reaction was one of shock as they asked Zhang if there was something wrong with her.
Nothing, the 32-year-old explained. They just want to be a DINK couple – double income, no kids. They are momentarily two incomes shy of that goal, but that is expected to change soon – and they are enjoying the downtime by hitting the open road.
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“My mother said she was already over 60 and would be ridiculed for not having grandchildren,” Zhang said. “But would I change my life just to avoid her being laughed at by others? No.”
Zhang, who recently graduated from a medical university in Shandong province with a doctor of pharmacy, is biding her time, waiting for a scientific research position to open up at a hospital later this year. Her husband will start work at a public institution in two weeks. For now, they enjoy staying up late, sleeping in, and not worrying about kids.
On Thursday, the couple set off on a 5,499km (3,417-mile) road trip – carefully mapped out to 59 hours and three minutes – that will take them through three other Chinese provinces.
“I definitely wouldn’t be able to be this carefree if I had a child,” Zhang said. “Due to their parental responsibilities, a few of my friends rarely have the time to go out and meet up with me.”
Although Beijing put an end to nearly three years of restrictive zero-Covid measures in December, they have had a lasting impact on people’s economic and mental well-being. For many, the resulting financial pressure and anxiety have left them with a worrisome outlook on the future and more inclined to reject the idea of parenthood.
This was a trend that had picked up steam in the years preceding zero-Covid, but nationwide shutdowns, work stoppages and widespread economic uncertainty appear to have exacerbated the movement during the pandemic.
China’s birth rate hit a record low last year as deaths outnumbered births in the country for the first time in more than six decades.
“We think we are becoming more self-aware, while our parents think we are becoming more selfish,” said Yang Xiaotong, 26, who is self-employed in Shenzhen.
Like Zhang, Yang is also unwilling to give up her own life and freedom for the sake of children. She and her husband, who wed in April, said three years under pandemic controls had a lot of influence over their thinking. In addition to developing an aversion to having children, they began to reflect on the true meaning of life.
“[I realised that] I want to see the whole world rather than be confined by my children to an 80-square-metre apartment in Shenzhen,” said Yang, whose travel ambitions mirror Zhang’s and many others. “Many young people are more focused on improving the quality of their own lives now, because we cherish the time we have on this planet.”
Yang said she faces enough pressure from building her own business. And while she does have some friends with kids, she has several who also are content being DINKs, and others who do not even want to get married.
Ren Yuan, a professor with the Institute of Population Research at Fudan University, said this type of sentiment is poised to have a long-lasting impact on the country.
“Considering the declining marriage rate, and the rising percentage of people who never get married, China will very likely see its low fertility rate remain low in the coming decades,” Ren said.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the total population in 2022 decreased by 850,000 from 2021, marking the first population decline in 61 years. The fertility rate for people having a first child also dropped to 0.5.
“Some studies have found that the experience of childbirth itself can boost people’s willingness to have kids, so the biggest concern in China now is the low fertility rate of one-child families,” said Chen Weimin, a professor at the Institute of Population and Development Studies in Nankai University.
At the same time, the rising costs of having children – coupled with the current economic doldrums in which more than 1 out of 5 young adults are unemployed – mean more couples find themselves unable to afford children.
“To be honest, after deducting rent, utilities and living expenses, there is not much money left from my 5,000-yuan (US$700) monthly salary,” said Qu Yun, a 24-year-old nurse based in Shandong province. She said the main reason she doesn’t want children is her lack of money and time – she works more than 12 hours a day and does not even have time for lunch, much less a kid.
Although a growing number of local governments and companies are promoting subsidies as incentives for childbearing, Qu’s thinking remains undeterred.
“It would be better for the government to improve the protection of labour rights, such as regulating overtime work and raising salaries, rather than try to convince people to get married and have children,” Qu said.
Even Zhang, who has an advanced educational certification that will result in a relatively higher-paying job, still worries about being able to adequately provide for children. She looks at what relatives are spending, especially on tutoring, to give their kids a leg up in such a contentious economy.
“Education costs are so high, and I don’t want my child born into such an exhausting environment,” Zhang said.
China cuts marriage red tape for migrant workers as population crisis looms
Meanwhile, mental health issues are on the rise, including among young people coming of age in a time of pandemic isolationism, and the idea of bringing a child into the mix can seem daunting.
Simultaneously dealing with depression “makes it even harder for us to remain patient” when children become mischievous, Yang said, noting that even interpersonal relationships with adults have become more difficult to handle.
Chen, the professor at Nankai University, said that while “child-hating” goes to the extreme, and individuals may play it up on social media, there’s no denying that China has to make society more conducive to having infants and toddlers, with the aim of “establishing a child-friendly society”.
“Young people’s desire for having children has indeed decreased, and there is a general phenomenon of fertility anxiety in China,” Chen said.
Before kicking back on her road trip through China, Zhang Chengying wrapped up with: “I cannot say whether I will change my mind when I turn 40, but for now, I am very determined not to have children.”
More from South China Morning Post:
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