According to a media source, China’s birth rates have reached their lowest recorded levels due to a dramatic drop in marriage registrations combined with the ageing of married couples.
In the first three quarters of 2020, the number of wedding registrations in China declined by 17.5% compared to the same time in 2019. In Jiangsu Province, the number of marriages has decreased for five years in a row, while in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, the number of marriages recorded in 2021 was less than 80% of those registered in 2011.
In recent years, the Chinese government has attempted to increase its birth rate by enacting policies that are considered to jeopardise women’s basic rights, such as bodily autonomy. According to China Law Translate, a recent law titled “China’s law on the protection of women’s rights and interests” recognises women as beings distinct from men, requiring “particular considerations and protections” (CLT). CLT is a translation project run by Jeremy Daum, Yale Law Tsai Center Fellow.