00:00Balancing work and children, it's a pressure that has many Taiwanese parents exhausted.
00:06Intense work culture, including long and demanding work hours, can leave little time for family
00:11life.
00:13Looking to lend a helping hand, the Taipei city government is rolling out a new policy
00:17allowing parents with children under 12 to leave work one hour early each day.
00:23It comes as Taiwan overtakes South Korea as the country with the world's lowest birth
00:28rate.
00:40Businesses appear open to discussing the new policy, but say it depends on what kind
00:45of job parents are working.
00:59Civil groups are also generally supportive, but they're concerned the policy might affect
01:04worker benefits.
01:15And young people in Taipei say that reducing work hours is not enough.
01:20They pointed to larger concerns regarding low salaries and the rising cost of living, issues
01:26that discourage people from having children.
01:28And theyápena said, it might be the same as a permanent education at the same time.
01:29I think early job is not an expense.
01:33I mean we have to pay attention to that issue.
01:37It should come from a policy to help our families that will turn on the policy to help us.
01:53I believe the public loan from children under 10 years to make the social concerns.
02:04Taiwan has tried out similar initiatives in recent years,
02:07things like cash incentives, improved parental leave,
02:11and even assisted reproduction technology.
02:14But despite these efforts, the country's birth rate has continued to fall,
02:18dampening hopes that this new policy will have much impact on Taiwan's demographic dilemma.
02:24Patrick Chen and Lily Lamatina for Taiwan Plus.
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