After 30 to think about marriage

Many young people choose to get married late and keep pets as companions, not just as a hobby - Photo: NGAN HA

There have been concerns that this increase will lead to many consequences. Master Pham Chanh Trung, head of the Department of Population and Family Planning of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the city is currently aiming to encourage births but must consider carefully and must come from the legitimate needs and aspirations of the people.

To implement birth promotion, the most important thing is a support system for couples of marriageable and childbearing age, how they can raise their children in the best development conditions.

Master PHAM CHANH TRUNG

Over 30 years old

* Ho Chi Minh City has a low birth rate. What do you think about the current trend of young people in the city being afraid of getting married and having children?

- 30.4 is the average age of first marriage in Ho Chi Minh City, according to the General Statistics Office in 2023, surpassing the 30-year mark. This figure tends to increase continuously from 2019 to 2022, increasing by an average of 0.7 years each year. Specifically, 27.5 - 28 - 29 - 29.8 years old correspond to the years 2019 - 2020 - 2021 - 2022.

Along with the fear of marriage, the fear of having children is also becoming more common. In 2023, the birth rate has decreased significantly compared to 10 years ago. The total fertility rate in 2023 is about 1.32 children/woman, while in 2013 it was 1.68 children/woman.

This shows that the fertility rate of Ho Chi Minh City is very low compared to other provinces and cities in the country. Specialized statistics show that the total fertility rate of the city has been below the replacement level (2.1 children/woman) since before 2010. In 2024, Ho Chi Minh City aims to maintain the total fertility rate at 1.36 children/woman.

* What do you think is the reason why young people are afraid of getting married and having children?

- There are many reasons for these two trends, especially the reluctance to have a second child. Psychologically and socially, the causes can be seen as economic pressures, job competition, and also because couples want to take the best care of their children.

Many couples have the view of getting married late, having few children and focusing their financial resources, time and health on caring for and investing in their children. Education and career development also influence many people's decision to have children.

Many young couples, especially women, who decide to delay marriage will have more time to study to improve their education, professional skills, and seize opportunities for personal development.

In terms of reproductive health, the difficulty in conceiving, the rate of primary infertility and secondary infertility tend to increase. Late marriage is accompanied by a gradual decrease in women's fertility with age, especially after the age of 35.

It is important to improve the quality of the population.

* From the story we discussed, what will be the consequences if this situation continues?

- Ho Chi Minh City is in the group of 21 provinces and cities with the lowest birth rate in the country. Everyone knows that the falling birth rate will have a strong impact on the population structure in the future. The proportion of young people and people of working age is decreasing, the proportion of elderly people is increasing.

The severe population decline has led to a shortage of labor, affecting productivity and economic development. The declining birth rate and rapid population aging have put enormous pressure on the social security system, welfare, human resources and the high cost of caring for the elderly.

* How has Ho Chi Minh City been solving this problem, sir?

- The city is taking cautious steps in adjusting the birth rate based on observations of experiences from other countries around the world as well as feedback from experts and the people themselves through many media channels.

The city's population sector is starting from the most basic activity of communication, conveying messages about low birth rates and their consequences to people and society so that people can better understand the issue of low birth rates.

Currently, the city has a birth promotion orientation, but it is carefully considered, consulting experts in the field of population, and most importantly, it is based on the needs and legitimate aspirations of the people. Because this is the resource for future socio-economic development, in line with the most important goal of population policy, which is to improve population quality.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Population and Family Planning has advised on the draft on population policy in Ho Chi Minh City until 2030 chaired by the Department of Health to be submitted to the City People's Council at the nearest session in 2024.

I can cite a few proposals such as supporting hospital fees (co-payments in addition to health insurance costs) for couples who have their second child before the age of 35, supporting the cost of pre-marital health check-ups...

There is also a positive side.

On the positive side, the trend of young people being afraid of getting married and having children can be temporarily explained by the fact that young people tend to focus on improving their quality of life and developing their careers.

Not to mention, having fewer children allows parents to invest more in raising and educating their children, ensuring the best conditions for their development.

This also partly reduces economic pressure on families, allowing more resources to be invested in education, health care and other activities to improve the quality of life.

Mr. Pham Chanh Trung also believes that this trend promotes research and finding solutions to adapt to the actual situation in social policies and services.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ngoai-30-moi-tinh-chuyen-ket-hon-2024071823254522.htm