MCLC: Taiwan baby bonus

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: Taiwan baby bonus
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Source: The Guardian (1/23/12):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/23/taiwan-low-birth-rate

Taiwan offers baby bonus to fix plummeting birth rate
Year of the dragon, an auspicious time for birth, seen as last chance to
avert demographic timebomb
By Tania Branigan in Taipei

It is, says the president, an issue that threatens Taiwan's very
existence. Authorities are mustering every weapon to see the problem off:
from money to Chinese astrology and blind dates for its citizens. The
island's plummeting birth rate is one of the lowest in the world, experts
say, prompting a warning from the president himself, Ma Ying-jeou, that it
is "a serious national security threat".

Taipei believes the year of the dragon, which began on Monday, is its last
chance to turn things around. As an auspicious time for birth, each dragon
year sees a sizable baby bump. By adding cash and other incentives, it
hopes to produce a larger than usual increase to maintain its 23 million
population. In industrialised countries, the average woman must have about
2.1 children to keep the population stable. In many places the fertility
rate has dipped well below that ­ and in Taiwan it has plunged.

In 1951, the average Taiwanese woman would have seven children. In 2010,
the fertility rate was 0.89. The population is expected to start shrinking
in the next 15 years. Equally worrying is its rapid ageing. About 14% of
citizens are over 65. Within two decades, that will double. On current
trends, it will become the oldest country in the world, warned Yang
Wen-shan, a demographer at the Academia Sinica in Taipei: "Right now,
seven working people are supporting one older person. By 2045, 1.45 people
will be supporting one."

Numerous countries, from Japan to Germany, face a similar problem: not
enough young people to care ­ or pay ­ for older citizens. But in Japan it
took 40 years for the proportion of over-65s to rise from 7% to 20%. "In
Taiwan we think it is taking maybe 20. We have half the time to deal with
it," said Yu Zhu-ping, head of population at Taipei city's civil affairs
department.

Most people still aspire to having two or more children. But they marry
later ­ or not at all ­ and are more likely to divorce. They have their
first child in their thirties and are often unable or unwilling to have
another. Harold Li of the Child Welfare League Foundation blamed the cost
of child-rearing ­ given stagnant salaries and high house prices and
childcare fees ­ but also growing individualism.

"I think Taiwan's low fertility rate is absolutely a big problem," said
Sean Lin, a 24-year-old doctor from Taipei. But he added: "I not only
don't want children, but also have no plans for marriage. It's not for
economic reasons; I simply prefer more emotional freedom and believe that
a family would be a burden."

While his attitude is unusual, he says younger people are more accepting
of childlessness. His girlfriend is happy with his choice and even his
parents respect it. It is a striking shift in attitudes for a
predominantly Chinese community. "There is a traditional saying 'There are
three ways of being unfilial to your parents ­ and having no children is
the most serious,' " said Li.

The comparison with the mainland is striking. Despite Beijing's "one
child" policy ­ which has several exemptions ­ the fertility rate in China
is still about 1.7. Liang Weixiao, who comes from southern China but
married a Taiwanese man, says her siblings struggle to understand why she
has only one son.

"My brother and sisters have one child each and wish they could have more.
They say 'Look; there are no limits on birth controls in Taiwan ­ you can
have two or three,' " said the 39-year-old. At first the couple felt they
could not afford a second child. When they tried again Liang, by then in
her late thirties, struggled to conceive. She thinks the effect on her
six-year-old is obvious. "He wasn't used to sharing his toys [when he
started kindergarten], because it's only him at home. He has to get used
to not always being the best," she noted.

Li, who said such behaviour has been called Prince or Princess Syndrome,
warned of other problems. "Because children don't have playmates and
siblings, they have to mature earlier and act like adults. We worry their
childhood ends too early," he said. "Also, where parents have only one
child they focus all their energy and income. The child has to bear a lot
of pressure."

Faced with the personal and social costs, Taiwan's search for a solution
is increasingly urgent. In the last two years the government has
introduced subsidies for childcare, though critics say they are
insufficient and that better quality care is needed. Mothers have also
gained the right to return to work after up to three years off.

Taipei, which has the lowest birthrate, has gone furthest. There are free
tests to identify fertility problems; parental advisers; a "baby bonus" of
20,000 Taiwanese dollars (£430); and a childcare allowance for under-fives
worth up to 150,000 dollars a child. To encourage marriage, the city
organises matchmaking day trips for singles and free courses on handling
relationships. It even subsidises companies to lay on dating activities
for employees.

Although the fertility rate appears to have rebounded in 2011 ­ with a 36%
rise, officials said ­ it is hard to determine the long-term trend,
because 2010 was particularly inauspicious for motherhood. Yang said
births usually dropped sharply after dragon years, so that keeping up this
year's momentum will be a challenge. He believes Taiwan must open its
borders and encourage migration to stabilise its population. "We are too
late to start an incentives programme. If we don't do anything, it reaches
a point of no return. If we do something, it will still be a problem that
hangs over society for the next 20 to 30 years."