Lowest Marriage Registrations in 44 Years... Chinese Professor Proposes Lowering Legal Marriage Age to 18

In China, ahead of the "Lianghui" (Two Sessions: the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the National People's Congress), there is a controversial movement to lower the marriage age to prevent the decline in birth rates. Photo by EPA and Yonhap News.

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Commissioner Chen has argued for several years that the minimum marriage age should be adjusted to align with international standards. Furthermore, he considers the period up to 2035 as a golden hour to resolve China's population imbalances, including low birth rates and aging, and urged increasing cash subsidies and medical support for families with children. He particularly emphasized that focusing benefits on rural areas rather than urban ones would be more effective.

This measure comes after China's population began to decline in 2022 for the first time in 60 years and has continued to decrease annually. Last year, the number of marriage registrations in China also plummeted by more than 20% compared to the previous year, hitting the lowest level in 44 years, raising a sense of crisis. In response, the Chinese government has introduced various policies to address low birth rates and aging, including encouraging universities to introduce courses related to dating and marriage, but the fundamental situation?such as the decline in the fertile population and young people's reluctance to marry and have children?remains unchanged. Meanwhile, China will start its annual largest political event, the Lianghui, on the 4th. While NPC representatives sign laws and policies enacted by the Communist Party, CPPCC members review hundreds of proposals covering all fields from the economy to social issues and artificial intelligence (AI).

This measure comes as China's population began to decline for the first time in 60 years in 2022 and has continued to decrease annually. Last year, the number of marriage registrations in China also plummeted by more than 20% compared to the previous year, falling to the lowest level in 44 years, raising a sense of crisis. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Pixabay

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However, online criticism argues that lowering the legal marriage age is not a fundamental solution. Ifu Xian, a demographer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, pointed out, "Lowering the legal marriage age to 18 will not help increase birth rates now that people are accustomed to marrying and having children later." He further predicted that "in the future, China will follow the trends of South Korea and Taiwan," with the average marriage age rising to the 30s. As of 2020, the average age at first marriage in China was 29.4 for men and 28 for women.

Moreover, some criticize that the public is being viewed simply as 'reproductive tools' for the state to bear children. One netizen pointed out, "The annoying fact is that 'having children for the state' is the purpose behind lowering the marriage age and encouraging young people to marry early." The FT noted that online, the biggest cause is cited as the "enormous financial pressure to provide elite education for children in a highly competitive society," and predicted that the measures proposed by Commissioner Chen alone would be insufficient to reverse the population decline trend.

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