Next Five-Year Plan can help foster family-friendly society

The world marks the 35th World Population Day on Friday under the theme of "Empowering Young People to Create the Families They Want in a Fair and Hopeful World".While the United Nations-established day is focusing on the largest-ever generation of young people this year, China has its own theme, focusing on marriage and fertility, both of which require societal support.

China stands at a pivotal moment in its demographic journey as the nation prepares to close the book on its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and drafts its 15th one against the backdrop of demographic change.

The numbers tell a story of contrasts: There were more than 300 million senior citizens by 2024, accounting for 21 percent of the total population. Meanwhile, the nation sees a shrinking workforce, yet with a historical surge in university graduates fueling an innovation-driven economy.

There is also good news. Last year, 9.54 million babies were born in China, up from 9.02 million in 2023 after seven straight years of decline. Since 2021, the country has been building a policy system to boost population growth, such as by allowing couples to have a third child.

Yet challenges persist. At 1.71, China's fertility rate remains below the replacement level of 2.1. These have long-term implications, such as reduced labor supply, slower consumption growth, pressure on social security systems, and the risk of imbalanced development between urban and rural regions.

At the same time, the rapid expansion of higher education is giving rise to a new kind of demographic dividend, one that is not defined by sheer numbers, but by capability.

Today's younger generation is the most educated in recent history. The number of college graduates is likely to reach 12.22 million in 2025, an increase of 430,000 from last year, contributing to a growing pool of skilled labor in areas such as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and biomedical sciences. While this progress cannot offset the population decline entirely, it does mean that China's economic growth can become more innovation-driven and less reliant on population scale alone.

However, the aspirations of young people need to be backed by concrete support. Surveys show that many young adults in China desire marriage and children, but are discouraged because of factors such as the high cost of housing, expensive childcare and education, limited maternity and paternity benefits, workplace discrimination, and the difficulty of balancing career and caregiving responsibilities. In this context, simply relaxing birth limits or offering one-time cash subsidies will not help.

What is needed is a strategy to foster a truly family-friendly society, which the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) can address. This can be achieved by creating an enabling environment where individuals, especially women, can pursue both professional goals and personal fulfillment without undue penalty.

Several measures have been introduced to reduce the burden families face in raising children. One of the policies includes adding 660,000 affordable nursery care slots and raising the number of nursery care slots for children aged 3 and under to 4.5 per 1,000 people by the end of this year.

Many regions in China are granting maternity allowance directly to individuals instead of through their employers, thereby simplifying the process.

Ultimately, the message sent to young people is that building a family is not just a personal milestone, but a socially recognized and supported choice.

As China charts its course for the next phase of development, it must ensure that all generations, young and old, can thrive in an inclusive, equitable and people-centered society.