Finding alternative solutions to maintain replacement fertility

The draft Population Law has been submitted and is expected to be passed at the ongoing 10th session of the 15th National Assembly. One of the contents that has received many comments is the need for a long-term solution to maintain the replacement fertility rate.

Population experts recommend that young families should have two children.

The opinion of the National Assembly 's Committee on Culture and Society as well as many National Assembly deputies is that the measures to maintain the replacement fertility level stated in the draft Basic Population Law are only short-term support, so it is necessary to study comprehensive, fundamental and sustainable support measures.

In addition to housing issues, there are also issues of support in education (free tuition, support for study costs), health care (health insurance for children from 6 to 18 years old) to create real conditions for people to feel secure in getting married, having two children, thereby achieving replacement fertility; research to continue to supplement employment policies, subsidies, support for workers giving birth and raising young children...

Some delegates suggested that the draft law should have a universal approach, with regulations to ensure equitable benefits among groups of women, between workers in the formal sector and the informal sector (currently the majority); instead of supporting women giving birth, it should have regulations to support children (such as tuition support policies; subsidies for raising children up to a certain age)...

It is necessary to integrate birth promotion policies with policies on labor, employment, child welfare, and preschool education to create a favorable and stable environment for couples to feel secure in giving birth and raising children. There are suggestions to specify more measures to encourage giving birth to two children in localities with low birth rates, thereby creating clearer policy differentiation between regions and different target groups...

Director of the Department of Population ( Ministry of Health ) Le Thanh Dung said: The drafting committee accepted the opinions and supplemented the regulations in the direction of stipulating a comprehensive and fundamental policy framework to increase the birth rate to achieve a sustainable replacement level of fertility, on the basis of closely following Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW of the 6th Conference of the 12th Central Executive Committee on population work in the new situation as well as Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW and Conclusion No. 149-KL/TW.

The drafting of the Population Law aims to institutionalize the Party's viewpoints on population work. The draft law focuses on core, non-overlapping policies, including: Maintaining replacement fertility; reducing gender imbalance at birth; adapting to population aging; improving population quality; and ensuring conditions for implementing population work...

The policy of maintaining replacement fertility is one of four major policy groups stipulated in the draft law, which continues to inherit the provisions on the rights and obligations of each couple and individual in giving birth in the Population Ordinance, and at the same time stipulates measures and policies to encourage and support couples and individuals in giving birth and raising children.

The drafting of the Population Law aims to institutionalize the Party's views on population work.

Based on socio-economic conditions in each period and the ability to balance the budget, local authorities supplement regulations on measures to maintain the replacement birth rate; supplement subjects to apply measures to maintain the replacement birth rate, as well as regulations to increase maternity leave when giving birth to a second child and regulations to give priority to buying or renting social housing according to the law for individuals and couples who have two children are two major policies that are close to the people.

The policy of maintaining replacement fertility can be considered an immediate solution to prevent the trend of declining birth rates that is spreading nationwide; to overcome the situation of late births, few births or no births. According to research, evaluation and overview of international experience, economic pressure in giving birth and raising children along with policies and measures to support families with young children, especially in economic areas and industrial zones with limited capacity, the need to develop a career, seek higher income, personal experience... are factors that affect the trend of getting married, having children late, having few births or no births.

HOANG THANH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tim-giai-phap-duy-tri-muc-sinh-thay-the-post928898.html