Reflection and research prospect on the practice of China’s current fertility support policy system
10.12026/j.issn.1001-8565.2026.05.10
- VernacularTitle:中国现行生育支持政策体系实践反思与研究展望
- Author:
Chen ZENG
1
;
Ya ZHU
2
Author Information
1. School of Health Policy and Management， Nanjing Medical University， Nanjing 211166， China
2. The Jiangsu Base of Aging Society Research /School of Marxism， Nanjing Medical University， Nanjing 211166， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
fertility support;
fertility willingness;
policy effect;
population development
- From:
Chinese Medical Ethics
2026;39(5):624-630
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
China has entered the ranks of “moderately aging” countries. The aging of the population is accompanied by the phenomenon of a low birth rate， with insufficient newborns and an increasing proportion of the elderly population， resulting in aging issues persisting. Conversely， the low birth rate has further exacerbated the degree of aging， promoting China’s fertility policy to focus on constructing an effective fertility support policy system to comprehensively enhance the fertility willingness of the reproductive-age groups. At the current stage， China’s fertility support policy system seeks to reduce the costs of childbearing， alleviate family child-rearing burdens， ease work-family conflicts， and meet childcare needs for reproductive-age individuals， infants， and caregivers through providing economic， time， and service support. However， numerous issues persist throughout the process from design to application and implementation， such as policy fragmentation， unclear responsibilities， and mismatched supply and demand. The current policy objectives tend to emphasize population regulation， lacking systematic support for the entire lifecycle of families. Furthermore， China’s fertility support policies have partially drawn on international experience and undergone localized adjustments， receiving varying degrees of feedback. This validates that research should focus on the heterogeneous effects of fertility support policies on the fertility willingness of different reproductive-age groups and identify their specific fertility needs. This approach would facilitate more precise policy implementation and more effectively construct the entire lifecycle fertility support policy system， thereby achieving high-quality development of the population.
