By Zhang Bingzi, Yu Dong & Liu Shenglan, Research Department of Social Development, DRC

Research Report, No.278, 2021 (Total 6343) 2021-9-22

Abstract: The number of China’s newly-born babies will remain at a relatively low level for a long time, causing it urgent to make strategic adjustments toward the reform of population and childbirth policies. The existing Population and Family Planning Law aims at checking childbirths, so a mere revision of the law will be inadequate to advert childbirth plunge. Meanwhile, the original institutional mechanisms have become weakened and unsuitable for the encouragement of fertility. Besides, the implementation of revised law on childbirth cannot be shored up by relevant measures. It is advisable to initiate the legislation reform as soon as possible, with the focus on clarifying duties and obligations shouldered by relevant entities, stipulating regular release of comprehensive plans, and establishing a primary policy framework, while paying high attention to the interests of households and females. Besides, it is necessary to build as soon as possible the institutional mechanisms for boosting childbirth policy transformation, found top-level organizations and functionary departments for overall coordination, and formulate a childbirth policy system that covers life cycles of the entire household. Pilot projects need to be carried out with assorted policies, enrich the policy tool kit, explore the mechanism for fueling childbirth policy transformation, strengthen population monitoring and judgment on future performance, and refine the evaluation mechanisms on influence of major economic and social policies on population.

Keywords: childbirth policy, legislation, institutional mechanisms, childbirth guarantee