Kids last on wish list of married women
By Cai Wenjun |
May 15, 2013, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
MARRIED Shanghai women are delaying plans to have a baby for a host of reasons even as the city is reporting a drop in number of newborns.
The Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission said yesterday that the desire to balance work and family was the foremost in the minds of women as they delayed plans to start a family.
Speaking ahead of the International Family Day, which falls today, the commission said economic pressures, small house, personal pursuits like study and career as well as the desire to have an easy life were among the other reasons that forced women to delay plans for motherhood.
The commission carried out a survey of married women with no children in five cities including Shanghai. Housing and economic burden were the other major complaints for wanting to have children later, followed by the need to study and work and enjoy life.
The commission also expressed its concern about the high number of grandparents forced to look after children.
About 64 percent of local children below six years of age are taken care of by their grandparents, who struggle with looking after the children at an advanced age.
Shanghai is also facing the problem of fewer children and the rising number of the elderly among the registered population, while the population of migrants having kids in the city was also on the rise.
In 2012, there were 14.27 million registered population in Shanghai with 5.24 million families. Each family only had 2.7 persons by average.
The population of those aged 60 or older rose from 2.66 million in 2005 to last year's 3.67 million. The coverage to the total registered population rose from 19.58 percent in 2005 to last year's 25.74 percent.
The migrant family size has grown from 2.22 persons in 2010 to 2.48 persons last year.
The Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission said yesterday that the desire to balance work and family was the foremost in the minds of women as they delayed plans to start a family.
Speaking ahead of the International Family Day, which falls today, the commission said economic pressures, small house, personal pursuits like study and career as well as the desire to have an easy life were among the other reasons that forced women to delay plans for motherhood.
The commission carried out a survey of married women with no children in five cities including Shanghai. Housing and economic burden were the other major complaints for wanting to have children later, followed by the need to study and work and enjoy life.
The commission also expressed its concern about the high number of grandparents forced to look after children.
About 64 percent of local children below six years of age are taken care of by their grandparents, who struggle with looking after the children at an advanced age.
Shanghai is also facing the problem of fewer children and the rising number of the elderly among the registered population, while the population of migrants having kids in the city was also on the rise.
In 2012, there were 14.27 million registered population in Shanghai with 5.24 million families. Each family only had 2.7 persons by average.
The population of those aged 60 or older rose from 2.66 million in 2005 to last year's 3.67 million. The coverage to the total registered population rose from 19.58 percent in 2005 to last year's 25.74 percent.
The migrant family size has grown from 2.22 persons in 2010 to 2.48 persons last year.
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